Fragile Hearts: Life after love
by frankiejayson
Summary: After Molly's death and the Community of Phoenix fiasco, Daniel still feels empty. When he forges an acquaintanceship with his adversary, he soon learns that things are not what they appear to be. Can the woman who loathes him be the one person to make him feel alive again?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the show mentioned in the following story.**

 **CHAPTER 1:**

Atlantis Resort, Bahamas was where the essential _Mode_ staff was for the swimsuit photo shoot. The few who were lucky enough to be part of it were in the magnificent island, juggling work and leisure time, with Daniel being their leader in the slacking department. He was among those who were having more fun than actually doing their job. He spent his entire time sampling the island's best cocktails and let Wilhelmina handle everything since it was her last issue. He wanted to let her go out with a bang, at least that's what he told himself. The truth was, he wanted the issue to be the best it could possibly be, because with him as sole Editor-in-Chief, it could easily be the last best selling _Mode_ issue.

He sat at the bar having a cocktail sulking from his little embarrassing situation that occurred almost an hour ago. The reason he even went to the Bahamas was to get his groove back, an endeavor that didn't seem to go so well. He thought the Bahamas would be the place to start the healing process, however that set him back and he was overwhelmed with the guilt of cheating on Molly's memory. Another issue was Wilhelmina. After all these years, she decided to leave and she wasn't just leaving, she leaving him high and dry. Not that he would admit it to her but this time, he needed her more than ever. The Editor-in-Chief and CEO duties were relying entirely upon him this time. There was no Alexis, and no Wilhelmina. With him in charge of _Mode,_ it would only be a matter of time before his father's legacy crumbled. Maybe it was time he talked to a professional.

As he was contemplating seeing a real therapist when he went back to New York, his worst nightmare made its way towards him.

"Hi" She greeted almost inaudibly as she sat on the only empty bar stool right next to his. He rolled his eyes, not really in the mood to deal with the dragon lady.

"What are you doing here? Came to pick on me with another cult joke, Wilhelmina?"

"No, this is the only seat available." She stated coolly. He glanced around the bar, it really was packed.

"Oh…sorry."

"No need to apologize. Sitting next to you isn't exactly the highlight of my day, either." She signaled to the bartender "Excuse me? May I have a Yellow Bird, please?"

"Yes ma'am…coming right up." The courteous waiter replied

"Wow…You're capable of saying 'please'?" Daniel joked

"I'm never rude bartenders and waiters. Never mess with someone who handles your food. You know I'm not a monster, Daniel…it's just you who makes me appear so and the rest of 'Team Daniel.'" Daniel sniggered

"You could have fooled me."

"Shut up." She snapped causing him to chuckle

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to miss you."

"Yeah, right" She said scoffing

"I'm serious, Wilhelmina."

"Of course you are." She replied with a cynical tone "Look, Daniel I know what kind of a person you and the rest of the world think I am. And I'm not the person people miss they're gone. And believe it or not, I'm fine with it. It makes goodbyes much less awkward for me." She simply said. They sat there having their drinks quietly for a while.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Daniel asked out of the blue

"I don't know."

"You don't have a plan?" She shook her head "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. Now enough about me…what are you going to do?" She asked, changing the subject

"About what?"

"About your erectile dysfunction." She said smirking before taking a sip of her drink

"What? You…you know?"

"Marc is a competent assistant but he lacks subtlety, especially when it comes to Amanda, whom I believe doesn't know the meaning of the word."

"Does everybody know?"

"I don't know." She shrugged as if it was nothing

"Look, it's not erectile dysfunction. I…I just…Molly was on my mind, that's all. Maybe if I try again…maybe…"

"Stop it, Daniel"

"Sorry, you don't need me boring you about my sex life. But you're the one who brought it up."

"I meant stop THIS."

"What?"

"Using sex to disguise your pain. You haven't dealt with Molly's death, Daniel. You joined that cult and they brain washed and drugged you. And now that the drugs are out of your system, the real you is back you and you're back to square one and it hurts like hell."

"You don't know how I feel." He retorted before draining the last of his drink. He was pissed at her comparison of Molly's death and Connor's. The bastard died because he embezzled and got involved with the wrong people and got his ass killed.

"Trust me, I do."

"I beg to differ. Connor left you by choice. He only died about 2 weeks ago, long after you broke up. It's not the same thing."

"I wasn't talking about Connor."

"You weren't?...Then who were you…" She looked down, trying to conceal her expression from Daniel. However she was too late as Daniel caught her softening and he could have sworn he saw some emotion on her face. She took a deep breath before letting her guard down. She drained the last of her drink and slammed the glass back down.

"Come with me." She instructed and he complied. She led him away from the crowd and they continued to walk in an awkward silence. The action was awkward to Daniel in particular as he had no idea where Wilhelmina was taking him or what she was going to do him. It definitely wasn't what he was thinking, for sure. Wilhelmina Slater would never touch him. So he assumed that she was taking him to a private place where she could give him some pep talk, something that's been Betty's job for almost four years.

They continued to walk in silence until their walk led them to the beach by which time Daniel noticed that she was a little nervous. Wilhelmina Slater wasn't one to get nervous, something was up. It finally hit him. Maybe she was going to smooth talk him into getting her reinstated. Wilhelmina felt her stomach tighten and then sighed before speaking.

"Years ago, when I was younger, during my modeling days, when I was still a rookie at _Mode_ , I started seeing someone. And 7 months into the relationship we tied the knot and almost exactly nine months later, we had a baby. A son."

"You have a son?" Asked Daniel, eyes narrowing

"No" She answered exhaling in a shaky breath before continuing "Everything was going great. My career was at its highest point, so was his. We were happy. And then one night, he was driving home with our son from his mother's…They were involved in a car accident and…" She left the rest to his imagination as she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. It still stung like a knife.

"Wilhelmina, I'm so sorry."

"I was at a _Mode_ party. Fey was celebrating her 120th issue as Editor-in-Chief and suddenly at the party I had this feeling…I just wanted to head home and I did. Shortly after I got home there was a knock on the door and two policemen told me that I needed to go to the morgue to identify the bodies of my husband and 8 month old baby."

"Both of them? They both di-…both of them?" Daniel managed to stammer

"Yeah. I…uh…I was never the same after that."

"Oh, my God. Wilhelmina I had no idea."

"Well, it's not something I talk about. In fact I never talk about it."

"Then, why now?"

"Because…I did the same thing you were going to do. I thought sex with strangers would help me get over the pain I was feeling. But the truth is, after the wave of orgasm is over, you feel as empty as you did before."

"But…"

"I know it seems easy."

"What seems easy?"

"I told you, I've been there before. You think by going back to the person you were before you met the person who changed your life, you will hurt less."

"Well, Betty said going back to my old life might be therapeutic."

"Therapeutic? Are you shitting me? Tell me…how many spouses has Betty lost?" Daniel's gaze fell to the ground and didn't provide an answer "I thought so."

"But…it's too hard. How can I…"

"Go to therapy, Daniel. Real therapy this time. I've seen you these past couple of weeks, staying late at the office, punching people…it's not healthy."

"Wilhelmina…"

"You should try to deal with your grief instead of trying to replace it. I see what you're doing and it's dangerous, trust me. I recognize it from myself. And believe me, it's difficult to go back."

"Is that how you became…" He trailed off. She didn't offer a response right away, however when she turned to face him, she had a pissed expression on her face.

"You know what, you're an asshole. I'm trying to help you here. I'm not leading you astray. For once I have no secret agenda. This is not a scheme, I'm trying to save your ass from yourself…and all you can do is turn this shit around on me. Well, fuck you!"

"Wilhelmina, wh-…what…what's wrong? I was just…" Daniel stammered, shocked by her abrupt outburst.

"I…uh…I have to go." She said in a quiet and hesitant tone. She turned and stormed off leaving him flabbergasted. He failed to understand her sudden anger as she was the one to bring up the subject.

* * *

Walking back to his hotel room, he just couldn't get what Wilhelmina told him out of his mind. She walked away from him before he could ask further. He saw how her face became uneasy when he started questioning her about why she revealed such a secret and then suddenly exploded. Her answer was that she was trying to help him. But why would Wilhelmina want to help him? Didn't she love it when he was depressed and miserable? She jabbed on him about being rescued from a cult in front of the staff a few days ago, embarrassing him. 'Then why would the same woman want to…that's it!' His train of thought stopped as he realized something "That bitch!" He exclaimed out loud "She could have been lying…she could have made that up!"

He rushed into his suite and darted toward his luggage and frantically searched for his laptop. He flipped it open and powered it up, and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for it to boot. He thought about how she quit her job and has no future plans. Was that bullshit sob story a way to gain his sympathy and make him give her her job back? He couldn't help thinking that Wilhelmina was probably playing him. But he reasoned that she wouldn't stoop that low, but again nothing is ever too low when dealing with Wilhelmina Slater. As soon as the _Google_ page came up, he typed the words Wilhelmina Slater. Son. Car accident. For a major celebrity like her, that information was bound to come up and surely there would be tons of articles on any person in her superstardom at the time who went through such a horrible tragedy.

As he expected the search engine to provide no result of such an event in her life, his brows quirked as a number of newspaper articles dating back to 1992 appeared on the monitor. He clicked on one of the several articles, with the most attention grabbing headline

 **Wilhelmina Slater Loses Husband and Son in Hit and run**

Wilhelmina Slater's husband, Christian Shuttleworth and their 8-month-old son, Jude Shuttleworth were killed in a horrific car crash after being struck by a black 1989 Ford Bronco on Saturday evening. The accident occurred at about 8:50 PM and the father and baby were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are still looking for the vehicle that caused the accident.

Authorities say that according to witnesses, the Ford Bronco was driving dangerously and then collided with the red 1990 Acura NSX sending it off an overpass. The Bronco then reversed, almost colliding with another vehicle and then sped away. The first officers at the scene say that the driver was wearing a seatbelt and the baby was secured in a car seat when the crash occurred. However, the impact was so immense that medical experts concluded that the father and son died instantaneously. According to reports, Wilhelmina was rushed to the hospital shortly after hearing the news.

The couple's publicist released the following statement "It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the deaths of Christian and Jude Shuttleworth. Both the Slater and the Shuttleworth families are deeply distraught by the tragic loss of the two people that were dear to them and to Miss Slater's heart. I can't even begin to express the devastation that has struck Miss Slater right now, which is why we ask the press for privacy in respect to the bereaved Wilhelmina and to the rest of the family."

The supermodel and the photographer had been married for 18 months and were together for more than 2 years. Their son was only 8 months old when their lives were tragically cut short….

"Oh, my God." Daniel exclaimed as he stopped reading, as the article went deeper into graphic details, especially with the graphic pictures of the car wreck. "This is why she's so cold hearted." He whispered

* * *

The next morning Wilhelmina sat on the beach snacking on a cheese burger, watching the beautiful island waters. She sat there trying to formulate the next chapter of her life. The truth is, she was happy that she didn't get the job at _Isabella_. _Mode_ was the only magazine she ever wanted to provide her services to. While she sat there, at peace with the entire world, she was startled by Daniel's voice.

"Wilhelmina?"

"Daniel" She acknowledged him. He walked over and sat next to her.

"Are you…are you eating a cheeseburger?"

"Shut up" She snapped jokingly. They both chuckled softly

"It's a…lovely, sunny day out isn't it?" He spoke again

"What's going on, Daniel?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're talking about the weather. That means there's something more serious you want to talk about."

"Okay, you got me…I kind of want to talk about Meade." She sighed. She was expecting this conversation sooner or later.

"You want to buy me out?" She asked still staring ahead

"No, I want you to come back." She certainly wasn't expecting that. A look of confusion and disbelief spread across her face as she faced him.

"Did you go to the bar before you came down here?" She questioned with her signature eyebrow raise

"What? Why?"

"Because you must be drunk to suggest something like that." She replied, causing a him to chortle

"Well, I'm not drunk. I came here for a walk to think it through. I didn't even think I was going to find you here."

"Are you sure that this hasn't got anything to do with the fact that after our talk yesterday, you went back to your suite to _Google_ me, found out that my story is legit and you want give me my job back out of sympathy?"

"No"

"Daniel" She said in a warning tone

"Okay, I _Googled_ your story. But I'm not doing this out of sympathy…Wilhelmina, I will never do anything for you out of sympathy."

"That's good to hear. But maybe I shouldn't come back. I don't think Hartley and your mother will be pleased."

"Wilhelmina, I'm not going to beg."

"Good, because I don't want you to."

"But I am going to say one thing… _Mode_ needs you. You know when my mother told me you were leaving, she was so happy…"

"There's a shocker." She muttered

"But I wasn't. I got scared because I'm still a mess and the best creative director and Editor-in-Chief in the entire magazine publishing industry was leaving and the magazine is gonna go to shit."

"I know." She said under her breath

"Then why'd you leave?"

"It's…uh… a personal and complicated matter."

"Look, if it's Hartley and my mom you're worried about, I'll back you."

"You'll what?"

"I'll support you, Wilhelmina. You're still an owner of Meade and I'm sure we can find something in those bylaws that we…well YOU wrote and I disagreed with most…" They chuckled "We can find something that can get you back."

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why do you want me back at Meade? After everything I've done?"

"You know Wilhelmina, Molly and I weren't together very long. In fact I didn't get to know her as well as I would have loved to. But her illness taught me something very important, that you shouldn't live on what was and what could be."

"I see. So in a way you are giving me the benefit of the doubt?"

"Yeah, I guess so. You know Molly confessed to me that when we first got together that she felt threatened by my sexual past. But then she decided to let go of her fears and gave me a chance."

"I see."

"So can we work together as equal partners this time?"

"Of course."

"Can I trust you?"

"That's up to you. You once said trusting me would be a rookie mistake. I can't make you trust me. But I'm not gonna let you down…intentionally. You have my word."

"That's good enough for me."

A comfortable silence fell between them as they stared ahead and watched the sea, engulfed in their thoughts. However Daniel decided to voice his

"So…how soon is too soon?"

"Huh?"

"I mean to move on…start having sex or starting relationships. How soon is too soon?"

"It's different for everybody, Daniel. But let me tell you this if you still yell 'Honey, I'm home.' when you get home from work; When you reach over to her side of the bed when you wake up in the morning…you know, before your mind registers reality?...it's too soon."

"I think I get it. So when did you get over it?" Her gaze averted from his eyes and back to the sea

"I don't want to scare you, Daniel."

"Okay, but when did you start… you know with other guys?"

"It was too soon."

"I don't mean to pry, Wilhelmina but how soon?"

"I still had the white tan line on my ring finger."

"Oh" Was all he managed to utter

"And after all the sex was over I would feel extremely guilty, like I cheated on him."

"Molly and I weren't married long enough for me to be spotting a ring tan line." He said lowly. She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder, an action that caused him to have a shiver running through him.

"Daniel I know you think…" Before she could say what she was going to, her eyes darted to the figure in the water. She was sure she was hallucinating and craned her neck and Daniel did the same, obviously seeing exactly what she was seeing. As if on cue, the pair rose to their feet as the figure emerged from the crystal blue waters. He got closer and closer and it was him. The one and only, Connor Owens.

Wilhelmina's facial expression which was soft the entire time that she was talking to Daniel changed to motionless. She watched him as he walked towards them as if he was on slow motion. His glistening body which under different circumstances would have made her go weak in the knees actually made her green about the gills, especially with the Speedos. He approached the pair wearing that charming smile of his, eyes fixated on Wilhelmina's.

"Willie" He said with a smile that was accompanied by an apologetic gaze. He turned to Daniel whose face was bright shade of pink "Daniel"


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2:**

"Connor" The duo replied in unison. The part of Wilhelmina that still loved him suddenly overpowered her and her jaw clenched in anger as she slapped him hard across the face. This slightly startled Daniel who had been watching her the entire time and to him she appeared calm.

"I hate to admit it, but I rather enjoyed that." Connor said lightheartedly, almost seductively

"You let me think you died?" She asked, her anger mounting

"You believed that? Oh, I'm so sorry." She gave him another hard slap in response to that.

"You fucking son of a bitch."

"Willie, please" She gave him one last glare and turned to leave. Connor grabbed her by the arm, stopping her.

"What? What the hell do you want from me?"

"Look, I'm sorry. Very sorry. But I have a business proposition for you." He explained while still lost in her eyes "For both of you." He said that part eyeing Daniel

"No, what you have is a minute before I call the cops!" Daniel answered, his voice rising with each word

"No, you won't, Meade. If you want all your money back, you won't and something tells me you need that money because I know Cal Hartley and he is a wanker. He's probably taken over as we speak and you are powerless. Willie, I know you wanna go back to _Mode_."

"How do you know I left _Mode_?"

"You know, I wasn't hiding under a rock, Willie. I watched and read the news. You think it's pure coincidence that I'm here?"

"You've been spying on us?" She asked accusatively.

"Oh, please. Your staff members were going on and on about the shoot in the Bahamas on _Facebook_ for weeks."

"What do you want, Connor?"

"I need your help. I'm gonna turn myself in…"

"Hmm, it's pretty lonely living incognito, isn't it?" Asked Willie. Daniel noticed that the former couple appeared to have turned a blind eye to his presence.

"Willie, listen…I need your help. I will surrender to the feds and I need you to use your influence to your father and try to get me a trial as soon as possible. I would also need some information, anything that can reduce my sentence." Willie looked to Daniel who was as confused

"I'll think about it."

"That's my girl." Without saying another word, Willie walked away from the two men.

"I'm sorry about Molly, mate." Connor offered sincerely. Daniel just nodded

"Uh…thanks. But Wilhelmina doesn't have to do shit. You deserve to be in jail."

"Well, why don't you call the police?"

"I should."

"But you're not going to, not if you want to see that money again."

"That money is mine!"

"You want to talk about what's mine and yours? Let's talk about Molly. She was mine until you stole her from me. And in a way, you stole Willie from me, too."

"Wilhelmina? She and I were just talking. What, you think that there's something between me and…"

"Oh, don't flatter yourself. Willie likes men, not spoilt little boys with Daddy issues who sleep around and steal their friends' girlfriends and fiancés. What I meant was, she chose your company over me." Said Connor and walked off before Daniel could take in what he just said to him.

* * *

She slammed her door in aggravation when she walked into to her suite. She couldn't believe Connor's nerve to give her such an ultimatum. If she wanted her power back from Hartley, she had to get him a faster trial and a deal that could get him out of jail fast. He wanted a lenient punishment as if what he did to her wasn't that big of a deal. The heartbreak and humiliation she felt when he left her, bankrupting the entire company, putting hundreds of people out of jobs, causing the company to close down 5 magazines all because he didn't want to let go of the plain school teacher seemed like it was nothing to him. And that drove her absurd.

She peeled off her bathing suit and stepped into the shower getting ready for the photo shoot. As the water cascaded from the shower head to her body, her mind kept flashing back to the conversation down at the beach. She now had to deal with the senator. Suddenly, a distinctive knock shook her out of her thoughts. She stepped out of the shower, taking her sweet ass time all the while, hoping he would take the hint and walk away. She threw her robe on and walked to open the door and there he stood, leaning on the door frame smiling smugly.

"Hey, love." He said

"Connor…" He gently pushed the door and she moved aside, letting him in.

"Willie, we need to talk."

"Do we, now? Because I believe we talked when we were down at the beach. I said I'll think about it."

"Oh, come on that was just business, darling. I didn't talk about us because of Daniel."

"There isn't an 'us', Connor." She said furiously

"Darling, come on, please…" He gently grabbed her waist "I'm so sorry, Willie. I'm sorry for what I did. I don't know what possessed me to commit such a…."

"You were possessed by your feelings for Molly, hatred for Daniel and your fear of losing. That's what possessed you to fuck over the woman you claimed to love."

"You're so sexy when you're angry."

"And you have the audacity to treat it like a fucking joke. You hurt me, Connor. And you humiliated me."She said solemnly, her tone causing his expression to turn to shame.

"I know and I'm sorry…so sorry that I want to spend my entire life making up for it. I'll start right now…" He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her softly. She fell into the kiss and responded with as much passion, her hands grasping his hair. He moaned in a mixture of pain and pleasure and they pulled away simultaneously in an attempt to catch their breath. Connor looked at her eyes and saw the desire in them and leaned in and attacked her mouth.

Her hands fumbled with the buttons of his shirt and it was on the floor in no time. He untied her robe and slid it off her, revealing her perfect curvaceous body. He almost creamed his pants at the sight of her naked form. He trailed kisses down her neck and went on to suck a nipple in his mouth causing her to throw her head back. He moved to the other one and flicked his tongue over it earning a gasp. He kissed his way up her neck went back to attacking her mouth. She undid his belt and let his slacks fall to the floor. She slid her hand down his briefs, grasping his now erect cock. He grabbed her breast as he traced her jaw line with his mouth and he kissed down on her collarbone; his other hand made its way in between her legs and she was already wet for him. He didn't waste any time and he picked her up and laid her on the bed.

She was gasping for air when he hovered over her, looking deep into her eyes. He kissed her with tenderness causing her to moan in pure lust. He trailed his mouth down her body, sensually running his hands up her thighs. She opened her legs to him and he could sense her desire and lowered his head and licked her slit. Before he got to work, she held his head in an effort to stop him from going further.

"Connor, you can do that later. Right now, I just want you FUCK me." She said in between pants.

He didn't need to be told twice and positioned himself at her entrance and gave her a deep, hard kiss as before entering her. She gasped as she felt his member slowly slip inside her. She then latched her mouth on his neck to keep from crying out at the sensation she missed terribly. Sure she screwed a number of guys since he left but it was the feeling of his magic stick that she was longing for. And he was going to give it to her. He gave her another deep, passionate kiss before he started moving. She tightly wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved inside her. She moaned his name as he rocked within her, enticing him to increase his pace. She bucked frantically as he mounted her, moaning his name as he thrust deeper. Her moans soon turned into screams as he gyrated faster than before, resulting into her grabbing on the sheets as he fucked her with intensity. Soon her walls tightened around his shaft and in a moment, her body convulsed in a wave of pleasure and he followed, spilling his seed within her.

She stood by the window, looking out, with her back to him. The former couple dove right back into it as soon they came down from their high and after a couple of rounds, she was satisfied and worn. As great as the sex was, she was still angry with Connor and didn't want to make this tryst anything more than it was. She folded her arms contemplating just how she was going to persuade her cold, judgmental father into helping her. There was a great chance that he wouldn't since he believed that it was the magazine business that turned his once lovely daughter into the vicious monster. As she was thinking about how she was going to approach her dad, she was startled by Connor's voice.

"What ya doing, love?"

"I'm…uh just thinking." She answered sheepishly

"Come back to bed."

"I have to go to the shoot." She protested and he noticed that she sounded a little distant and he knew why. So he did the best thing he could at that moment, he walked over to where she stood and encircled her waist from behind and kissed the nape of her neck.

"Come back to bed, I'm craving you." He whispered

"Still? After 4 rounds of sex?"

"Of course. I've told you this before, you are the best I've ever had and I'll never stop craving you," He said trailing kisses up and down her neck "Ever"

"I…I have to be at the Shakira shoot in about an hour."

"Hmmm I guess we better finish this up in the shower then." He said seductively continuing his actions on her neck. She gave in and turned, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. He swiftly picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.

* * *

She managed to make it to the photo shoot in time. She scanned the set for Daniel and walked over to him when she spotted him. Before, she could say a word he spoke up.

"Hey, where were you? The _mode_ ls got totally hammered and ended up in some boat to Cuba. You were nowhere to found…"

"I know, Marc texted me all about it."

"Betty saved the shoot by convincing Shakira to become the cover. Where were you?"

"In my suite."

"Doing?"

"Daniel, please. I'm here now aren't I? I came to talk to you about the proposal."

"I'm sorry…are you okay? Is this about Connor?"

"What?"

"I mean him, showing up and giving us that proposal. Have you seen him since then?"

"No! Why the hell would I see him? Did you see him? If you didn't then why should I? Do you think he would be dumb enough to walk around in this resort knowing he's a fugitive?"

"Jesus, Wilhelmina I was just making small talk. You didn't need to bite my damn head off."

"Well, your small talk sucks." She snapped. She softened when she saw his hurt expression "I'm sorry, Daniel." She murmured

"What?"

"I said I was sorry. I'm just…I'm mad at the wrong person right now."

"I understand."

"So what do you think about Connor's proposal?"

"Do we have another choice?" He asked matter-of-factly

"No. I just wanted to get your approval as partners."

"You have my 100% approval. Do what needs to be done and I guarantee you an uncontested return to Meade 'cause we'll be able to buy out Hartley."

"Good." She ended the conversation and they watched the rest of the shoot in silence.

As the shoot wrapped up, extremely loud sirens, helicopter blades had everyone's attention and more than 2 dozen police vehicles surrounded the vicinity and soon the island was crawling with armed Bahamian authorities and the FBI. The pair looked at each other knowingly and everybody was ordered to stay where they are as the cops went searching. After several minutes, the police came out of the hotel with a handcuffed and defeated Connor. Everybody who knew the story was shocked, except for Wilhelmina and Daniel who managed to pull off convincing shocked expressions to match everybody else's. The scene was watched with loud gasps and whispers as Connor was whisked away in a chopper, ending the swimsuit issue photo shoot with a bang.

* * *

She spent her time in business class with her laptop proof reading and editing the articles for editorial. She kept herself busy in an attempt to take her mind off the roller coaster of emotions she was going through. Opening up to Daniel caused her to reflect on her own personal tragedy, the one thing she could never get over. Nonetheless, that wasn't all that was on her mind during the flight, her thoughts were all over the place and the cognac she was drinking didn't provide the usual calming effect she was used to. Her thoughts were consumed by Connor, Nico and the senator and what would happen to her and her career if her father refused to help them. However the thoughts that consumed her more were of her own family, the one she no longer had. Ever since her talk with Daniel two days prior, she just couldn't get them out of her mind. She closed the laptop and drained the last of her cognac. She reached into the secret compartment of her laptop bag and retrieved a few old photographs.

Desolation overcame her as she stared at the family on the photograph. A former version of her true self, smiling and leaning on the shoulder of a man she loved more than life itself, matching her expression, with a small infant in her arms wrapped in a navy blanket. Her mind wandered to that day.

Flashback: 17 July 1991

She was in labor for 18 hours and as the contractions grew stronger, she hated her husband and vowed never to have sex with him ever again. It wasn't until the baby was placed in her arms did she forget about every nasty, mean and unpleasant name she called her significant other. The pain she just went through was almost forgotten as she stared at the slightly pink screaming infant in awe. Every feature of his face completely enamored her.

She thought her wedding day was the happiest day of her life, but that was before the wailing bundle of joy was handed to her by the doctor. How the day she experienced the worst pain of her life be the happiest day of her life was beyond phenomenal. He looked into her baby boy's eyes as he began to quiet down. His soft features and his azure eyes were so captivating, they made her heart melt. Her eyes became misty and she couldn't hold back the tears that coursed. She looked to her other half who also had misty eyes, still mesmerized by their son's birth. He draped his strong arm around her and planted a kiss on her forehead. She caressed his face and placed a tender lingering kiss on his lips.

"Thank you." She whispered. "For making me a mother." She clarified

"No, Will. Thank you." He said wiping the tears from her cheeks

"And I'm sorry about calling you…"

"I know you didn't mean it, Will."

"And I was so not serious when I said I'll never sleep with you again."

"I know. You wouldn't last a month." He teased causing her to titter "I'm sorry it hurt…did it hurt really bad?"

"Like a bitch." The couple both descended into laughter. They spent the rest of the night doting on the new addition to their little family. From then on, every single moment of her life was filled with extra unfathomable joy.

Present:

Little did she know that the happiness she felt would only last eight months, 1 week, 3 days and 21 hours. Without warning, they were taken from her. No goodbyes, no words of farewell, they were just gone. She felt a familiar tightening on her chest but she acted quickly and managed to keep her emotions under control. As she was about to move on to the next photo, Daniel's cologne alerted her of his proximity and before she could even put the photographs back, he settled on the seat next to hers.

"Hey" He started

"Hi"

"So, I think we should talk."

"Here?"

"There's no other _Mode_ employee on this flight, so I think we're good… A pretty dramatic ending to the shoot don't you think?" He said after a while

"Yeah, it was."

"Now that someone tipped off the FBI and Connor got arrested, did our deal with him fall through?"

"I'm assuming that hasn't changed. He still needs what he needs and we need that money."

"This whole plan…how is it gonna work? How is long is it gonna take?"

"Well, I'm gonna set up a meeting with my dad first and we'll take it from there."

"You're sure that your dad will agree to this?"

"No. But I'll do my best to coax him into helping us. After all, he was the one who used to tell me that sometimes good people have to do bad things in order to right a wrong."

"Sounds like a wise guy."

"He sounds like an ass, which he is."

"You're not that close?"

"Our relationship has been rocky for years but don't worry, I'll do my best to get him to help us. Now another important issue…If I can get this done I'm back at Meade with 50% ownership, correct?"

"Yes and we'll buy out Hartley."

"And I'll have equal veto power."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Good."

* * *

Soon after returning from the Bahamas, she finally set up a meeting with her father through his secretary. As she was finishing replying to that E-mail, Marc walked in the kitchen with a _Mode_ file in hand.

"The Bahamas proofs just came in. And not that you care about other people's opinions, but the entire staff is buzzing how great they are." He finished with a look of confusion on his face, at seeing her looking happy with a bottle of champagne.

"Oh? Champagne. I thought you'd be more…"

"Heartbroken that the man who broke my heart and humiliated me got arrested?"

"Uh…"

"And that's not why I'm celebrating. Daniel asked me to stay at _Mode_."

"What? How?"

"Well, he's been through a lot and he's not sure he can handle without me, so he asked for me to stay. And here's the crazy part, Connor said he'll give us back all the money he embezzled after I talk the senator into getting him some information that will reduce his sentence. So you still have your job." She said handing him the flute. He reluctantly took it from her and set it down and cleared his throat nervously.

"Well, there's something I need to tell you…I've accepted a job from Daniel…as his assistant."

"So quit. I'll have a talk with him and…"

"Thing is, I don't want to. I know it's not a job as an editor, but somehow I think Daniel will actually try to make it happen for me." She successfully managed to mask the hurt she felt at that moment.

"Well, uh…congratulations." She uttered, the words almost getting stuck in her throat before chugging the champagne.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3:**

At _Mode_ , it was business as usual. Or at least it appeared so as Daniel had a scheme up his sleeve. Only he and Marc knew his intentions to push Cal out. The man he had great respect for had proven to be just like his own father. He was a controlling soulless asshole who had to prove what a big man he was by calling the shots where he had no business doing so.

Marc sat opposite Daniel in his office listening intently as he went over he and Willie's plan in detail. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as Daniel assured him of Wilhelmina's return. He was still feeling guilty after he revealed to her that he was going to work for Daniel. She barely said anything to him after that, not that she needed to as her face and her mere congratulations said it all. They hadn't spoken since that afternoon. Daniel finally wrapped up his explanation of the secret operation.

"Marc, I'm gonna need your discretion with this. So, please no talking about it to anyone. Not even Amanda." Said Daniel after telling him the full story

"Daniel, I'm always loyal to whom I serve." Marc assured

"That would be easier to believe if the entire staff didn't know that I had…some problems getting it up in the Bahamas."

"I'm so sorry about that. You know it was the margaritas talking, I…"

"Let it go, Marc. Now can I trust you with this?"

"Of course you…" Just then his mother marched in the office, chiming in.

"No you can't. He's Wilhelmina's minion. Always have, always will be."

"Well, I work for Daniel now and my brain might belong to him but my heart will always be devoted to Willie."

"Do you hear him? He puts that woman before you." Claire said

"Mom, leave him alone. He's just working through a little Stockholm syndrome." Daniel reasoned lightheartedly.

"Daniel, I came to talk about the list of potential candidates for the creative director position. Cal hasn't received it yet." As Claire spoke, Marc slipped out of the office

"Oh, he…hasn't?" Daniel stammered, feigning innocence

"No."

"Well, things have been kind of crazy…it must have gotten lost. I mean, I WAS without a reliable assistant…you know Bahamas everybody going crazy. He'll get it." He stammered

"Well, hurry Daniel because he has a few candidates of his own that he would like to bring on board."

"He what?"

"Well, he's considering a few other ideas that are a little more outside the box." Claire said gaily "Don't worry about it." His expression hardened at his mother's comment

"Don't worry about it? My mom's letting her soulless new boyfriend call the shots. That seems like good, solid business sense to me." The last statement was dripping with sarcasm

"Look, Daniel. It's Cal's money that's keeping this company alive. And if you will recall, our money is gone because of YOUR friend."

"Why don't you throw the fact that he did it because I stole his fiancé, in my face while you're at it?"

"Daniel, you know I have been nothing but supportive of you and Molly ever since you started dating. Now how could you even say that?" His cell phone rang and he stared at the screen, even though it wasn't important, it was the perfect way to get rid of his mother.

"Sorry, Mom I have to take this." She walked out of the office leaving him alone.

* * *

She walked in her father's office for their meeting early in the morning. Her father smiled at her as she walked into his office and she returned the gesture with a sneer. To her this was just another business meeting, not a father and daughter reconciliation.

"Willie!" He father said almost enthusiastically.

"Good morning, Dad." She said walking over to the leather chair in front of his large mahogany desk and vacated it.

"Aren't you gonna even give your old man a hug?"

"No, thank you." She replied as politely as she could muster

"Oh?" Said the old man sitting back on his chair, successfully disguising the hurt he felt at his daughter's rejection. "You need my help and you don't even want to embrace me?"

"Dad, that would be manipulation. We both know our relationship has been crappy for more than two decades. And I keenly remember the last time we spoke."

"Fair enough."

"I'm not here to manipulate you, I'm here to ask you for help."

"To get your criminal boyfriend…"

"Ex-boyfriend!" She corrected firmly

"My bad. Criminal EX-BOYFRIEND off a serious crime in exchange for the money he embezzled. Why?"

"Dad, believe me, this isn't just about me. When Connor embezzled from the company, five magazines had to be closed down, putting hundreds of people out of jobs. The people who stayed had to take major pay cuts, myself included. They stayed and kept on working just for job security. They could have walked but we're in an economic meltdown. If Connor gives us this money back we could reopen the magazines and hire back the staff we let go. This is what you preach in your campaigns, doing the 'right' thing."

"I appreciate the air quotes by the way." Said the old man, sarcastically "And I know I was…the worst father anybody could ask for." He admitted and paused for a moment. If he was expecting his daughter to interject and tell him otherwise to make him feel better, he could forget it. "But trust me, I'm trying to be a better person and I'm actually trying to do good."

"Then why won't you try to help me?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't. I just wanted to hear the reasons."

"So, are you satisfied?"

"Yes but I'm still confused. Didn't you leave Meade Publications after Nico lied and…"

"Yeah, I know what she did. And yes I left Meade but when we were at the Bahamas for a shoot, Daniel asked me to stay."

"Why? He and his family have been fighting you to leave for two years."

"It's just that…he recently lost his wife and he sort of needs someone like me in the business right now."

"How are you sure that when he's back on his feet, he won't try to cut you lose again?"

"I'm not. But I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt since…"

"Since what?"

"Since we kind of bonded over losing spouses."

"You opened up to him about my son in law? You never talk about…"

"Before you judge me, it was not to get my ass back in the company. I told him because I saw…myself in him. Young, widowed, lost and with demanding career. Friends and family having better things to focus on than you."

"Willie, I know that was a difficult time for you."

"Dad, come on that's not what I'm here for. Can you please help us?"

"Well, Owens can't file a motion to dismiss the case. There's no way in hell that this case could be dismissed."

"Why not?"

"There's too much evidence against him. My investigator found this." He said sliding the file across the desk. He continued "Which means that the prosecution definitely has it as well and they are going to bury him in open court." Wilhelmina paged through the file

"Son of a bitch." She whispered

"What?"

"I'm looking at the dates these bank accounts were opened. That was the time he said he was going to London on business."

"And there's footage of him in these banks. And of course the Meade money transferred to these offshore accounts."

"So our best bet is the trial in which Connor's lawyer could make him come out smelling like a basket of roses for turning himself in and extracting information from that witness who's refusing to give up his boss."

"Yes."

"And there's a strong possibility that I could be named as a witness."

"I'm afraid so. And your business partner Meade and the Suarez woman who came forward and notified you about Owens' indiscretion."

"I see but I'll do my best to get out of testifying if the time comes."

"Willie, why does this man want a trial so fast? The minimum preparation time for a trial is 18 months."

"He wants to get it on and over with."

"He better have damn good lawyer. Damn good."

"He does."

"Good."

"Thanks, dad. Really, thank you." She said sincerely

"I'm glad I could help. I know Cal Hartley and the man can be quite a prick. One question though…how come you didn't come to me in the first place? Why did you go to him?" Willie scoffed

"Are you serious? Are you fucking serious?"

"Watch your mouth, young lady." Reprimanded the old man

"Dad, I asked you for help to start a magazine and you gave me sh-…you gave me a hard time about how I've changed. And now you're asking me why I didn't come to you for help?"

"Well, at the time you were bitter and angry and trying to take control of that magazine. You were trying to destroy and now you're actually trying to build, you're working together with Meade. At that time you were too goddamn ambitious to a point of being obsessed. It was frightening."

"You're unbelievable. You were there one who was pushing me not to depend on any one my whole life. You remember when you came to town and your reaction to my career achievements was that I was still just a Creative Director."

"I was still angry, Wilhelmina. You will understand one day."

"Understand what?"

"When you spend vast sums of money on your child's prep and Ivy League education and then they decide that they want to be a FASHION EDITOR, come find me."

"I'm sorry you don't have a son or any other child who you could be proud of. I know you'll never be proud of me but this is my career. This is it. This is what I do."

"I see that now and you're wrong…I've always been proud of you. It's just…I seriously hoped that your modeling and fashion thing was a hobby or better yet a phase. For what it's worth I'm sorry." Willie's eyebrow quirked in shock

"Are you okay?"

"Meaning?"

"I mean are you dying or something?"

"No. Life is too short."

"Again, are you dying? Do you need a kidney or something…because if so, then our deal is off." The old man responded with chortle

"I'm not dying, Willie. But this isn't how a relationship between a father and a daughter should be like." He said looking her deep into her eyes and Willie was staring at him cynically "And that's my fault."

"Not trying to be negative, Dad but do you think that a relationship that's been broken for such a long time is capable of being fixed?"

"I don't know. But we can try."

"How?"

"How about something simple… like dinner. Just to talk."

"Okay." She replied doubtfully

* * *

For the past few days, Daniel had been at loggerheads with Hartley since he brought in Denise Ludwig, a woman who didn't know shit about fashion. After work he went over to Wilhelmina's who had called him earlier to tell him she was back from DC and they should meet up to discuss the deal . He stood nervously outside her door unable to contain the excitement he was feeling. She invited him in as soon as her door swung open.

"Hi" He greeted

"Hello, Daniel. Come on in. Uh…what's with the ascot?" She asked leading him to the living area

"You…you don't like it?"

"I didn't say that. It kind of looks good."

"Thanks. That's what Marc said." His eyes scanned the living room and there was some type of salad and a large glass of wine on the coffee table with the TV flickering in the dimly lit room. He realized that he just interrupted her dinner time.

"Are you having dinner?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's alright. Want some?"

"No, no. I'm fine."

"You want anything to drink?"

"Sure I'll have the…chardonnay?" He said gesturing to the wine glass on the coffee table

"Actually it's gewürztraminer. Make yourself at home, I'll be right back." Daniel walked over to the living area and settled on the chair adjacent to the sofa. His gaze fell on the Thai beef salad and it smelled as delicious as it looked and his appetite suddenly returned. It wasn't long before Wilhelmina returned with a glass and a bottle containing the rest of the gewürztraminer and caught Daniel sampling her dinner with the fork.

"I'm sorry" He apologized with his mouthful "It looked too damn delicious."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"You said I should make myself at home." He argued "I'm really sorry. I haven't had dinner. I was going to order in as soon as I got home but…"

"I asked you if you wanted some and you refused and now you're eating mine!" She reprimanded, her tone virtually childlike

"You were serious? I thought you were just trying to be, you know…nice." She didn't reply instead she set the items down and turned on her heel and disappeared to the kitchen, returning with a salad bowl.

"You can finish that one. I'll eat this."

"Thanks." He said filling his glass

"So, I managed to persuade my dad into helping us with the Connor situation. He's still working on a better deal for him to get out early."

"That's okay. How long is it gonna take though?"

"Not long." She handed him a file "Here, take a look." Daniel reached out took the file from her.

"Shit. He lied and said he was going away on business, all this time he was plotting this mess." He said as he paged through the document.

"Exactly."

"How the hell is Connor going to spin this?"

"He has a fucking good lawyer. Financial crime is his strong suit and has defended more embezzlers, so I think Connor will be fine."

"So what if he doesn't win?"

"That's not our problem. We did our part. We got him a lenient judge, a faster trial and now we are working on him being put in the cell with a federal witness that he can extract useful information from. As soon as I do that, that money is ours."

"Good. And Hartley will be gone. Bastard." Wilhelmina cocked a brow

"Oh? You no longer admire him?"

"I never did, I was just sucking up to him. He's an asshole who made me wear a bunny suit at his charity even just to prove what a big man he really is. I did it because I needed to save my father's legacy. But I'm not gonna lie, he is an ass."

"I'm glad you finally see it."

"I've always seen it. But you know Molly was sick at the time and I was focusing on her and let you deal with him. By the way I thought it was screwed up that he promoted my mom to vice president out of nowhere."

"Really?"

"I mean, she was a housewife for 38 years. She was running _Hotflash_ for few months and she was being made vice president of a publishing empire."

"That shouldn't have been shocking to you, really. You had no experience in writing and publishing and yet your father gave you a job as Editor-in-Chief of a major publication." She said without a care in the world, not realizing how her words stung. But the truth hurts.

"Yeah, you're right. So when you return to _Mode_ , are you gonna want Marc back?"

"No, I don't want him back." She answered quickly

"Wilhelmina, I understand that you probably feel betrayed. I felt the same way when Betty went to work for you."

"Daniel, it isn't that. Marc looked me in the eye and said that you were the only person who would actually try and make his dreams of becoming and editor come true. And if that's how he feels, I can't stand in the way of that. And the way he said it, he thinks that I want him to be my whipping boy forever and the truth is I want nothing but greatness for him."

"Wow. Does he know that?"

"No. You know, before our company got into financial trouble, I was going to promote him. But we got screwed and the editor that was going to leave stayed because we shut down the magazine she was planning on moving to. So, I couldn't do anything about it."

"I'm sorry, Willie."

"Well," She said sighing "I guess I have to find a new assistant. I don't know how the hell I'm going to replace him. He was…like a son to me." She admitted with a trace of emotion.

"Have you ever told him that?"

"I'm not one to share feelings." Daniel laughed softly "Changing the subject…Now I hear that you hired some lady as Creative Director."

"I didn't hire her, Cal did."

"Denise Ludwig, I've never heard of her before two days ago."

"Apparently she was head of development for White Line Pictures."

"What the fuck?"

"Exactly. Hartley thinks her presence at _Mode_ with bring a, and I quote 'touch of tinsel town magic' "

"And I bet when you talked to him, he made a speech about how his money is keeping Meade alive and how you should take his shit."

"Actually his exact words were 'My money, my choice'"

"Asshole"

"And then along those lines, he threw the fact that he and my mother are sleeping together, in my face."

"That is just gross."

"Tell me about it."

"I mean why would somebody brag about the fact that they are sleeping with Claire? That is the gross part." Daniel laughed as he refilled his glass

"More?" He offered as he noticed that her glass was almost empty

"Yes, please."

"So, wasn't it hard sweet talking your pops into helping us?" Daniel asked, interested on how she managed to pull it off so quickly

"Strangely, it wasn't. He agreed to help us on our first meeting."

"So why did you stay longer?"

"He wanted to…have dinner and talk. He wants to repair our relationship."

"That's good."

"Yeah, it is."

"So what's the plan when you're back?"

"First, we open up the magazines we closed down. We give everybody a raise. Don't worry we can afford it. This a lot of money."

"I know and those would be well deserved increments."

"Despite the economy, we'll still be profitable. But we should probably sit down and allocate the necessary capital and not do anything rash. And Daniel, we have to up our game."

"I know. We can't let _Elle_ beat us in sales again."

"No, I meant as CEOs of Meade. Daniel, we can't rely on accountants to run our business. We were fucked over bad last time. We can't let anything like that happen again."

"Yeah. We should share responsibilities of the company."

" _Mode_ is no longer our only priority. The entire company is in our hands now, the senior executive team should be lead by us, not the other way round. And the strategic direction of the company should rely upon us. We should stop trying to fight for control and find a way to work together."

"I'd like that."

"Good. That's it for now. Now if you'll excuse me." She said picking up the remote control

"Hey, can I just finish watching the show before I leave? I absolutely love it."

"If you're not sick of being in the Devil's chamber, be my guest." She said before turning up the volume, her attention returning back to the TV.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4:**

Daniel couldn't believe it. Wilhelmina texted him, telling him that the deal is done and that Connor handed over the money. He wasn't expecting the good news so soon. He rushed over to her place following the meeting he couldn't get out of as soon as he read her text. The door flung open and he smiled as soon as her saw her. She couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Hey"

"Daniel" She simply acknowledged, moving aside so he could come in.

"So?"

"It's done. Connor gave me the account numbers."

"So you have it all?" He asked as he followed her to the kitchen

"WE have it all." She corrected. He wasn't sure where this team player Wilhelmina came from but he was liking her. Quite a lot.

"This is fantastic. Now all we have to do is buy Hartley out and you'll be back at Meade with your 50% and your co-Editor-in-Chief of position. Congratulations."

"Not so fast. There's still one remaining issue. Denise Ludwig has to go."

"Well, what can I do? Denise has a four year contract."

"How is that possible? The woman knows absolutely nothing about fashion. Look at what she's wearing." She said pointing to the open magazine "Straight out of last month's _Lucky_ magazine, page 46."

"Well, maybe that's why she hasn't given an interview yet. She's afraid if she opens her mouth, she'll make a complete fool of herself."

"If only we knew someone who had connections to the media." Wilhelmina trailed off

"Yeah, I know." He replied, completely oblivious to what she was hinting at. Wilhelmina cocked her head, looking at him, hoping he'll get it already. "Oh! Yeah, yeah, right."

"Good."

"So uh, how do we go about it?"

"Set up an interview on _Fashion Buzz_ , tell her she has to do it since she's the new Creative Director. And I guarantee you she'll freeze or better yet say something stupid."

"Great. Operation Get-Rid-of-Denise is in motion….Wow I'm perpetrating a scheme with Wilhelmina Slater. I feel so special." He joked and earned a stifled laugh from her.

* * *

 _Fashion Buzz_ :

" **Honestly, I just…I can't get my head around fashion." Denise Admitted**

" **You can't?" Asked Daniel**

" **No, it's just dumb. But you know what, it doesn't even matter. And it's the same thing with these overpriced rags, you know? I don't care if it's Donna Karan or dog food, it's just something to sell."**

" **In light of Denise Ludwig's blasphemous interview, I've been pumping my contacts at** _ **Mode**_ **for info. Late word into the Fashion Buzz newsroom is Denise has resigned from her post and is returning to her Hollywood roots, running a major TV studio."** Said Suzuki on the screen

"This is a category-five crap storm." Cal said furiously. Daniel turned off the TV and spoke up

"Well, fortunately Wilhelmina is available to step right back into her old job."

"Over my dead body." Claire stated. As if on cue, Wilhelmina appeared in the doorway

"I couldn't have described your body better, Claire." Said Willie, smiling smugly. The trio's eyes darted to the door Hartley's brows furrowed

"What is she doing here? We're not hiring her back." Cal protested

"Actually, Cal, we don't need your vote anymore." Willie said straightforwardly

"That's right. The stolen Meade money has been recovered." Daniel said confidently causing both Cal and Claire's eyes to narrow.

"It has?" Asked an astounded Claire

"We can cut you a cheque for your investment, plus interest, by the end of business today." Willie smirked, secretly liking the now confident Daniel. Claire's eyes kept moving between Wilhelmina and Daniel, watching them carefully and put two and two together.

"Wait a minute, you two are partners in this, aren't you? You set up that Denise video and now you're trying to push Cal out."

"Look, I'm only gonna say this once, so listen up. You don't tell me when to leave. No one does." Said Cal, directing his statement at Daniel with a determined look.

"Well, I was hoping you weren't gonna make this difficult." Said Daniel

"You don't know what difficult is, but you might learn yet." Hartley threatened and then turned on his heel and stormed out. Claire took one last look at Daniel and followed.

"Mom"

"I don't want to hear it. You choose this woman over family? I think that speak volumes." His mother said venomously and then walked out. Willie rolled her eyes at that.

"That went well. Now what?" Said Willie

"You let me deal with my mother. All we need to do is get her on our side and then she'll convince Cal to leave."

* * *

By the end of business the following day, Hartley had caved and took the buyout. Daniel didn't know how his mom managed to persuade him to go, he thought maybe it was the conversation he and his mother had the previous evening. However he wouldn't lose sleep over it, the bastard was gone and Wilhelmina would be returning to work the following day. He didn't know why he suddenly felt giddy inside that she was coming back. He thought maybe it was because this time, she wasn't coming back as an enemy but a partner he was confident that things would be different this time. Since the Bahamas, something changed between them, that he knew for sure.

The same was for Wilhelmina. She was excited to be back at _Mode_. And she made a little promise to herself that no more schemes. Just business.

As she was directing the movers to her office, Claire's voice called out to her.

"Not wasting anytime, I see!" Claire yelled. As Willie walked over, she could have sworn that the older woman's lips twitched into a smile.

"There are trends to be set, dreams to trampled. Kudos on outmaneuvering Hartley. You must have found one mighty big stick to beat that horse with." Said Wilhelmina, wearing a smug smile

"I know you had something to do with this."

"Claire, whatever are you talking about?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Confidential files don't just land on people's desks around here by accident." Claire said, her eyes scanning the vicinity and moved a little closer to Willie "I don't want Daniel to know about South Dakota. Is that understood?"

"Claire, Darling, how can I tell Daniel something I know absolutely nothing about?" She asked with phony innocence, shrugged then walked off. Her strut led to the orange doughnut.

"Amanda?"

"Yes, Wilhelmina?"

"I need you to organize interviews for a new assistant."

"Oh, you're not taking Marc back from Daniel?"

"No. Now can you set up the best candidates by the end of this week please?"

"Consider it done."

"Thank you." With that she strutted to her office.

She stood by the window, looking out the view she missed so much. She was already formulating how she was going to turn the magazine around and restore its former glory. There was also Meade Publications which required her attention. Never again will she rely on accountants when it comes to business. She learned that the hard way.

"Hey" Came Daniel's voice causing her to turn "Can you believe Hartley's gone?"

"I know" She muttered, smirking

"Do you have any idea how he decided to give in?"

"No."

"Aren't you a little bit curious?"

"I would be lying if I say that I am."

"My mom managed to convince him to leave. I don't know how she did it, but I'm glad. Welcome back, Willie."

"Thanks, Daniel. But uh…don't call me Willie."

"Got it." He said muffling a giggle

"So, I guess we should put together a strategy regarding the other magazines and…"

"We can do that tomorrow, because tonight I'm going to a celebratory dinner…with you." She quirked her brow

"What?"

"I'm buying the victory dinner and YOU are coming with me."

"Where exactly are you taking me?"

"I'm taking you to the restaurant with the best caviar in all of New York."

"Petrossian?"

"You betcha."

"How the hell did you get a reservation?

"I have my ways."

"So, when do we leave?"

"We can go now if you're ready."

"Just give me a minute." He nodded and slipped out of her office.

* * *

Later that evening, they were dining at one of Manhattan's finest restaurants with a whole bottle of champagne to complement their caviar and smoked salmon.

"We lost a lot of advertising when he was in charge." Daniel stated between bites

"I know. But don't worry, we are going to rebound from it. I have tons of ideas to make the magazine and the rest of Meade get back to its former glory." Daniel looked at her with a serious expression before speaking.

"Wilhelmina, I can't thank you enough for what you did."

"You don't have to thank me at all. It was the least I could do after all I've put you and your family through. This was nothing."

"No, it wasn't nothing. Thank you."

"You should be thanking the senator. You should give him call. He loves it when people praise him and tell him what a great, noble man he is."

"I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning. So, what are you going to do with your profits? I mean after the dust has settled and we actually make profits."

"I'm gonna buy myself an island and a private jet." Willie answered without any contemplation. Daniel chuckled

"I'm not joking, Daniel."

"For real?"

"Sure, why not? I have no kid I'm putting trough college. I don't have little kids. Life is too short, the least I can do is enjoy it."

"I hear you. So…are you okay?"

"With what?"

"C'mon Willie I mean with Connor. You were in love with the guy…you probably still…"

"I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM." She snapped defensively. What Daniel didn't know is that she had been having conjugal visits with him since his arrest and their relationship tanked a few days ago. Connor told her as soon as they started up that there was no future in what they were doing, that she should be with other men who can give her what she deserved. He thought he was doing it for her but he had hurt her again. At least this time he did her the courtesy of dumping her to her face.

"Look, I don't want to talk about Connor. Right now, let's just have this, okay? Let's just focus on our new partnership."

"You're right."

"I'm always right." She said causing Daniel to laugh "I gotta give it to you, what you did to Denise Ludwig was evil. I'm so proud of you."

"Actually, she answered the interview questions pretty well. She admitted that she paid some college freshman to pull some fashion quotes. And I started to think 'WWWD -What would Wilhelmina do?' And I just signaled to Marc to record her saying that." The pair descended in a wave of laughter

"Again, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks. That is the first time you've ever said that to me. I'm flattered"

"You better be." They burst in another bout of chuckles

"You know, I haven't laughed like this in…a while." Admitted Daniel

"That's good. You are going to find yourself smiling and laughing a little bit more with time." She reassured him

"I was planning on seeing a therapist."

"You should. Hold on." She fished in her purse for something. She produced a business card and slid it across the table."

"What's this?"

"This is doctor Sanders' business card. He's good. Or did you have a therapist in mind already?"

"No."

"Then you should go see him. Daniel, I promise you, he's just a therapist, he won't steal your soul. I've been seeing him for a while, he might help you. He and I are not even friends. He was recommended to me by a physician at Mount Sinai."

"Why would a doctor refer you to a shrink?"

"When I lost my…when I lost William, I was devastated. I tried to mask it but then one evening, I had a panic attack." Daniel's eyes widened at that confession. "I was on my way from work and…it happened. I freaked out so bad I thought I was having a heart attack or dying or something. My driver took me to the hospital and they treated me and that's how I was referred to a therapist."

"You had a panic attack?"

"Yeah and I had another one about three weeks after the first one. The second one actually happened at the office."

"In broad daylight?"

"Yes. I tried to control it and your mom walked in just as I was perspiring and made a jab about me going through menopause. I couldn't hear a word she said after that, but it eventually stopped with some breathing exercises."

"That's not good, Wilhelmina."

"I know and I never had another panic attack after that one. I'm not saying I'm close to better but I'm sure he can help you."

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"Since…A few weeks after I found out that William was actually Christina's. The thought of losing another son was just…too much."

"I can't even begin to express how that feels." He said sincerely

The scene was strange to him. The strange thing about it is that he and Wilhelmina were on the same side. An even stranger part about it all was how he began seeing her in a completely different light after what she shared. Not just what she told him this evening but from what she told him in the Bahamas about losing a family. Her voice interjected his thoughts.

"Daniel?"

"Huh?"

"If you tell anybody about this, I will castrate you."

'And there she is.' He thought, smiling internally


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5:**

A couple of weeks later, Meade and _Mode_ magazine's operations had slowly began to return to normal with the exception of Daniel and Wilhelmina's relationship. After working together to push Cal out of Meade, it became extremely hard for them to pretend they hated each other. Instead of being at each other throats, the pair was actually attempting a normal working relationship, sharing responsibilities instead of wasting time by attending every single meeting together, afraid what the other might do or say to the advertisers. They spent the entire first week going through the company's finances and budgets, brainstorming and short listing ways to get Meade Publications back to its former glory. They'd also met with advertisers back to back, reassuring them of the return of their full creative control of _Mode_ and Meade Publications.

The pair sat together in Wilhelmina's office after hours with over a dozen spreadsheets in front of them. They've spent the previous hour and a half putting their capital allocation plans in motion, devising budgets of the publications.

"Wilhelmina, you're a genius." Daniel said out of the blue as he transfixed his gaze on the folder in his hands.

"Of course, I am." She answered quickly. She paused and furrowed her brows "About what?" Daniel chuckled softly,

"About this idea of getting these magazines started up again."

"Yeah, I did the math. Even though the economy is kind of shitty, they will be able to generate profit." She replied.

"Plus everybody being on payroll. It's amazing."

"Those are well deserved raises. Happy staff is productive stuff."

"Got that right." He said.

"Hey, don't you think we should get some new media kits for _Mode_?"

"Do we need them?" He asked.

"Of course, I mean they would spice up the magazine since we just go out of a dark cloud. I just think _Mode_ needs some revival." She suggested.

"You're right. You're absolutely right." He glanced at his watch "It's getting late."

"If you want to go, you may. I can finish up on my own." She said with her attention back on her computer.

"You should go too. We can finish up tomorrow."

"I have a lot to do tomorrow, Daniel. The book was submitted and I need to do redlining and sort press ready files."

"Willie c'mon, you need to slow down." He said, his voice showing concern. She only scoffed as his suggestion.

"Excuse me? I don't have time to slow down. I'm working almost twice as hard since I don't have a completely reliable assistant."

"You still don't have an assistant? I thought Amanda…"

"Amanda's phone skills are impressive but I'm not so sure about her secretarial skills. It's not that I don't trust her or anything, it's just that I'm sort of a perfectionist when it comes to the magazine and I can't rely on her for major things. Her attention is all over the place." She explained.

"Well, it sounds like you don't trust her." Daniel teased.

"Shut up." She snapped jokingly, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Hey, do you wanna grab a drink?" He asked.

"Twice on the same day? Aren't people going to get the wrong idea?" She asked lifting her brow. Daniel chuckled.

"C'mon we only went out to lunch to discuss business. Besides, since when do you care what people think?" That, he was right about and before she could refuse, a somewhat heartbreaking look of desperation crossed his face. And she felt for him.

"You're right. Let me just tidy this up and I'll be on my way."

"Great."

* * *

At about an hour later, the pair sat in a booth in a slightly enigmatic bar in Williamsburg that Wilhelmina had no idea existed. She was on her second martini and Daniel's first snakebite was still almost full. Since they arrived they were chatting about work, basically continuing their conversion from earlier at office.

"Thanks." Daniel said smiling.

"For?"

"Doing this with me. Back at the office, I could tell you were reluctant. So, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"It used to be Betty who was my friend and companion. If I needed to talk, she'd be there. Even if I didn't want to talk about it, she'd be there whether it would be a pep talk or to tell me that I can win in whatever fight you and I would be having or scheme you were perpetrating." She gave a short suppressed giggle.

"And now she's too busy to baby you?" She teased.

"I know she's not my assistant anymore. I know she still cares, but…"

"Daniel, I'm not saying this to come between you and Betty, I'm saying it to help you understand her. Betty doesn't have a job anymore, she has a CAREER. You're still best friends but she is an editor now and it's a dog-eat-dog kind of world at _Mode_. She has to work at being on top of her game all the time. And that's going to be hard if she has to make a friend's personal life her first priority."

"No, I understand. I'm very happy for her but…things are not the same anymore."

"You know sometimes when things change, they become different and they're just not the same anymore." Willie said in an attempt to cheer him up. And that she did because, he responded with a laugh. "Things between you two are going to get better with time." She assured.

"I hope so. It's been stressful lately."

"Did you go to therapy?" She enquired.

""I went 3 days ago actually. It was my first session. He penciled me down for 5 more."

"Did it help in any way?"

"I don't know, Willie. It's hard to talk about it. I just…I miss her." He said softly.

"That's understandable, it's still early not to. Have you been sleeping, though?"

"Surprisingly, after our talk at the Bahamas, I have been sleeping. Your words really got to me. 'You should try and deal with grief rather than try to replace it.' I just…I wish it was that easy to do."

"It's not. Dealing with emotional pain is hard. Time is your only friend, Daniel. Grief comes in many stages and…"

"Stages?"

"Yes, there are a lot of stages of grief we go through and we skip some and we dwell on some. But we all go through them in our own different way. You're still in that stage where you want to choke every single person who says it's going to be fine." Daniel's brows shot up at her explanation.

"You've had that feeling before?"

"Far too many times than I'd like to admit. People tell you that you'll get through it as if they know what you're going through." She said slowly shaking her head.

"I just want to punch them in the face every time I hear that 'Everything is gonna be okay.' speech."

"You know what pisses me off more? It's when the people who claim to care about you act like you don't have a right to be angry. Like you can't break things, throw them around. Like your behavior is not normal…that you can't react. Sometimes shedding tears isn't enough…sometimes you just need a release, you know, before it really sinks in…that…" She trailed off looking down, trying to mask her emotions.

"That the person you love and planned the rest of your life with is gone." He finished.

"Exactly. And then they send you to therapy because they can't handle you at your worst. That pisses me off because there is no right or wrong way to grieve."

"So it's okay to ask 'Why me?' and throw shit around?"

"Very much so. And it is healthier than being in denial for 12 years…like me." She admitted.

"12 years?"

"I know I'm a bitch from hell and everybody hates me but…I wasn't always like this. It's just that, I was in denial for far too long that I kept losing a part of who I was throughout the years without even realizing it. I attempted to deal with it but it was too late. I had already changed to the wicked witch with no feelings. But I still don't understand."

"What?"

"I mean, I wasn't America's sweetheart or 'Betty-nice' but I was a decent human being. And for the life of me I still can't understand what I did so wrong back then that God thought I deserved something like that. I try…I just can't." She looked down and spaced out, staring in the distance. Daniel placed his hand rested it atop of hers and that shook her from her thoughts.

"Sorry, I'm making this about me." She apologized.

"Nonsense. I brought you here so we could talk and I'm glad that you told me that you're still dealing." He said quietly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I don't mean to scare you. You will make peace with Molly's death. Like they say, time heals all wounds. It's just that… A child's death is different from a spouse's."

"I understand. I've been reading on the internet and they say losing a child is far worse. And with you, your husband and son died on the same day."

"Yeah…Now please can we stop talking about…them? Please. Let's just…drink. But you can tell me all about Molly." Daniel just smiled in response.

"Waiter!" He called out and signaled to the waiter who rushed over.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Asked the waiter.

"Yeah, we'd like more drinks."

"Okay what would you and your lady like sir?" He asked looking at Wilhelmina

"I'd like another snakebite, please." Daniel answered. The waiter looked to Willie

"Do you perhaps have a sazerac?" She enquired.

"Of course ma'am."

"Bring us six tumblers….and some shots of Absolut vodka, 8 of them. Thanks." Said Willie.

"Coming right up." The waiter replied and walked off. Daniel eyed her suspiciously cocking his eyebrows, she only flashed him a mischievous smirk.

"Daniel, please don't look at me like that. We have a town car." Daniel let out a laugh. He was really liking this Wilhelmina.

* * *

A couple of days later the pair was sitting in Wilhelmina's living room with the book on the coffee table, going through press ready files. Daniel had also ordered dinner for the two of them and was devouring his stake as they worked harmoniously. They seemed to agree that some layouts needed to be changed, as well as the negative space of the layouts. Strangely, working on the book took them less time than it used to; they were settling their disagreements in a civilized manner as of late and there was compromise involved regarding their tastes and opinion.

"This is strange." Daniel said after a while.

"What is?" She asked as she dabbed her mouth with the napkin.

"We've been working on the book and we've managed to come to agreements like civilized human beings."

"Now that you mention it." She said with a small smile after coming to that realization.

"So, why do you always disagree with me?"

"Because sometimes you're an idiot and most of the ideas you come up with or support are stupid." She simply replied eliciting a small chuckle from Daniel "But, that's been happening a lot less lately."

His excitement peaked following her confession "Yeah?"

"You're getting better at this editing business." She admitted, looking him in the eye.

"Thank you. Is that why you… never mind." He stopped himself as he didn't wish to get kicked out.

"Go on, say it." She challenged as she narrowed her eyes.

"Is that why you always shot down my ideas? Because you were threatened that I was getting better?" He asked causing her to scoff.

"Not at all, believe it or not I don't mind sharing the spotlight. And just to clarify, I am not threatened by you…in any way." She said rather calmly.

"Okay" He replied smirking skeptically at her.

"Daniel, do you know why I was pissed at you for so long? It wasn't because you were a threat, it was because you were given this job on a silver platter after I worked and earned that promotion and that made me angry at Bradford. But what pissed me off the most to the point of almost hating you was that you didn't even try. For two whole years you never tried. You used your power to lure more women into your bed and Betty was the one who saved your ass day in and day out." She explained in a gentle tone. All the while Daniel's grin disappeared slowly.

"I see….I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You were longing for your father's approval. Trust me I know how that's like."

"I'm not just sorry for not trying but also about accepting a job which you rightfully earned. You're right, for two years I've taken credit for work that wasn't even mine."

"It's okay. I kind of like you now so…let's put it behind us." She proposed to a now flattered Daniel who was still taken aback by her admission that she liked him.

"Refill?" Asked Willie picking up the wine bottle.

"Yeah…So, how's that island of yours working out?" Daniel asked as she filled the large glasses to the brim.

"I'm still looking. But I've just closed escrow on a penthouse and a private jet." She said with a hint of excitement.

"You really weren't kidding about that…wait, you're leaving this place?" He asked as his brows knitted in confusion.

"I think it's time. I've been in this place for 15 years. I raised Nico here…actually I didn't do much raising since her dad and I split. And with Connor and William…I just… the point is…I need a change of scenery. I need a clean slate."

"Now I hear you. You know I thought I could live in Molly's apartment for a while after her passing but…I can't. I'm also looking for a place. I've been living at this loft in SoHo for about 7 weeks now."

"I'm not really surprised. Very few people can pull it off."

"What?"

"Continuing their lives in a place they shared with a deceased spouse." She clarified.

"You also couldn't do it?"

"God, no. The memories are just too…It's just too depressing when you're used to going home to a family, when a house is a home and then suddenly it's not. It's too damn painful when you get home in a place where there used to be laughter, voices, love and all of a sudden it's just…silence."

He knew the feeling well. Now Daniel wasn't a strong believer in fate before that evening; however, things started to fall into place. Maybe Wilhelmina's presence at the bar at the Bahamas and the little friendship they had now developed all happened for a reason. She was by far the only person who knew what he was going through and cared to listen instead of sending him to therapy groups. As he sat there, he thought maybe it was time to cease being secretly mad at his Mom and Betty and start appreciating the one friend who understood him better, no matter how twisted the friendship may be perceived.

* * *

Initially, since Meade was still on the rebound, it wasn't strange that the heads of the company and Editors-in-Chief were spending a little more time together than usual. However, as the weeks flew by the change in the pair's behavior was beginning to gain notice around the office; Creative meetings seemed to go smoothly and even though there were a few disagreements between them, Wilhelmina didn't shoot a single insult to Daniel in front of the staff. She was her usual authoritative self, ordering people around, but since the Bahamas she hadn't made a single employee cry, and during the latest meeting, the pair agreed with each other to a point of finishing each other's sentences, causing a mass confusion among the Mode employees.

Following the meeting, Amanda went back to her desk to type some documents as instructed by Wilhelmina. While the girl was pretty competent as her temporary assistant, she had a weakness; listening to private phone conversations and today was no different. As soon as Willie's office phone rang she picked up the receiver and listened discretely.

" **Hello?"** Answered Wilhelmina.

" **Wilhelmina."** Came Daniel's voice.

" **Daniel, Hey, is everything alright?"**

" **I think I might have left my watch at your place last night."**

" **Oh? Where exactly do you think you left it?"** Willie questioned.

" **We were on the couch and I took it off and maybe…"**

" **I'll look for it and give it to you tonight when we…"** Amanda's mouth gaped open in shock and she put the receiver down before she could hear more. She shot up from her and ran as fast as she could to find Marc and she found him near the features offices.

"Marc!" She gasped upon reaching him.

"Mandy?"

"You evil queen!" She said slapping his arm.

"What? What did I do?"

"How could you not tell me?" She asked.

"Tell you what?"

"That your former boss and current boss are doing it?" She replied with a smirk.

"What? My former…boss doing it with who?" He asked confusedly.

"Wilhelmina and Daniel are doing the nasty." She blurted.

Scrunching up his face, he asked, "What?"

"I suspected something for a while. Remember when I told you that there's sexual tension between them?"

"Mandy, that was two years ago and I don't think it was sexual tension, I think it was just… tension."

"Marc, since the Bahamas, Daniel and Wilhelmina have been inseparable. They get along at meetings…and…"

"They've been working together to get rid of Hartley." He reasoned.

"Well, it looks like that's not all they've been working on. They've also been working each other and not only did they get rid of Cal Hartley, they've also been getting rid of their sexual tension." She said wriggling her brows.

"Mandy! They're just…"

"The daily lunches…working late together….alone…." She trailed off.

"Mandy, I don't think…."

"And to top it off, I just listened in to Wilhelmina's conversation on the phone. Daniel left HIS watch at HER place last night when THEY were on the couch and she said she'll give it back to him tonight."

"Oh my God." Marc said, his eyes widening in horror.

"OMG Indeed."

"Secret sex room, Immediately." Marc said as he linked their arms together.

Betty's eyes remained as wide as saucers as the two friends walked away. They weren't aware that she was nearby and that she heard every single word. And it finally made sense. She tried talking to Daniel and asked how he was doing day in an day out and he was almost in a better mood and it dawned on her that Wilhelmina hadn't been mean to her or any other employee in a while.

"Oh, my God." She whispered.

* * *

After trying unsuccessfully to forget about what she heard and focus on her work, Betty gave up; she couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked to Daniel's office. She needed to find out from him. She knocked on his door frame which led him to look up immediately.

"Betty!" He exclaimed.

"Daniel."

"Is everything alright?" He asked at seeing her troubled expression.

"It's just…we haven't talked much lately." She said as she slowly made her way towards his desk.

"Yeah, you're right we've been like ships passing through the night. It's been kind of crazy."

"So I've heard." She mumbled.

"What?"

"Daniel, are you sleeping with Wilhelmina?"

"What?" Daniel exclaimed in utter shock at the accusation.

"Daniel, ever since the Bahamas…"

"Wilhelmina and I were working together to get rid of Hartley." He said defensively.

"But you're still pretty close for people who were working on a one time deal." Betty said softly, yet accusatively.

"We are business partners and we decided to stop fighting and act like BUSINESS PARTNERS for a change. We realized that we would lose business if we carried on the way we were."

"What about your lunches together? You at her apartment last night, leaving your watch?"

"How do you know about me being at her apartment? Are you spying on me?" He said shooting up from his chair in aggravation.

"No!"

"So how? Is Marc listening to my phone conversations and spreading them around?"

"No, no it wasn't him."

"We were finalizing layouts and doing prepress for the book because we had back to back separate meetings and we needed to make our final notes and sign off on press ready files."

"What about you going out tonight?"

"We have dinner with the Donna Karan reps since we lost advertising when Hartley was around. This dinner is to convince them that we're back in power and in charge."

"Oh." She simply replied.

"Betty, Wilhelmina and I are just friends, okay?" He said at seeing her skeptical expression.

"Friends? With her?"

"She's not the devil everybody assumes she is. She has her problems like the rest of the world."

"But, Daniel friends?...with her? Really?"

"Betty, I'm friends with you and there's nothing…"

"Well, I don't exactly look like I just stepped out of the cover of the magazine but she does. And you have a weakness for…"

"STOP. Don't you dare accuse me of being that same guy because I'm not and that's something you have failed to see when you told me hook up with strangers at the Bahamas because you thought being a man-whore again will provide some therapy. Now if I found friendship with Wilhelmina or anybody else who understands what I'm going through, it shouldn't be your business. Not anymore!" He bellowed.

"Daniel…"Betty said, obviously hurt.

"Betty, you don't run my life anymore. Focus on your career like you've been doing for the past 3 months. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a business dinner to get to." He said and swiftly walked over to his coat hanger. Hurt by his outburst and accusation, Betty stormed out of his office in frustration.

"Betty…" He softly called out apologetically but she didn't stop.

* * *

Following the closing of one of their biggest advertising deals, the pair chatted casually while walking down the sidewalk. During the dinner with the Donna Karan representatives, they managed to sell themselves and convinced them of how things were back in their hands and by the end of the first course, they had them eating out of the palm of their hand. By the end, they were assured a three year advertising deal and all that was left to do was the finalization of the contracts by the end of the week.

"That was awesome." Daniel said jovially.

"Tell me about it. Now all we have to do is get Cavalli and Versace on board for their advertising contracts."

"And our ad sales will be through the roof!" He exclaimed, raising his hand for a high five. Wilhelmina just rolled her eyes at him. "C'mon" Daniel said, almost childlike and she gave up and high-fived him back which sent them giggling.

"You wanna know something?" He spoke as they laughter died down.

"What?"

"When I started at Mode, I thought Cavalli was food…some type of pasta or something." Wilhelmina responded with a chortle.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." She laughed some more, throwing her head back causing him to smile broadly. That moment quickly became the cutest thing he'd ever seen from her. He'd always thought of her as pretty, sexy, devious, evil, but never associated the word 'cute' with her.

"You should tell that to Roberto some time. It might help break the ice." She suggested.

"Yeah, he doesn't like me very much." She didn't say anything to his statement because she knew how true it was.

"Pardon me for saying, Daniel, but even though you handled the meeting pretty well, I could tell something was bothering you."

"It's Betty. We had a fight." He stated.

"Oh? Not that I'm gonna lose sleep over it but what was it about?"

"No, I don't want you to get upset."

"Try me."

"She…I don't know where she heard it from, but she thinks there's something going on between us."

"What kind of thing?" Daniel only stared at her eyes, giving her a look "Oh…I hope you told her that she's losing it. Where did she get that theory, anyway?"

"Well, she heard that I left my watch at your place and did the math, thinking us working together was…you know. I don't know how she…"

"Amanda." Willie said, cutting him off.

"Amanda?"

"She thinks I don't notice, but she listens to my conversations on the phone. She probably jumped from her seat the moment she heard the words 'watch' and 'apartment' and ran to Marc or Betty or both."

"Oh"

"And you had a fight which I assume based on your mood tonight is unresolved. Now my question is…Why didn't you just tell her that there isn't anything going on between us?"

"I did and she didn't believe me and then brought up the fact that I can't control myself around women like you." Her eyebrow shot up at that statement.

"Women like me? What does that mean?"

"You know…beautiful women. She thinks I'm gonna…you know…"

"But Daniel, you're not that guy anymore. You haven't been in a while."

"I know. But Betty can't seem to see it. In the Bahamas, I wanted to hook up with that girl because she told me to go back to who I was. Even though she was the type I would normally sleep with, I realized that…It's not about looks anymore."

"Excuse me?" Willie exclaimed melodramatically.

"I'm serious, Willie. I mean, it used to be; I went out or slept with women because of their looks, no matter how dumb they are. My longest relationship was 5 months and 1 week long and she was a vapid, annoying gold digger but she was pretty so I let it slide and among my friends I was the man."

"Awww, Danny boy's growing up." She teased earning a chuckle from him. Their chuckles died down and as Daniel was about to speak and ask her to join him for celebratory drinks, her blackberry beeped announcing a message. She took it out of her purse and read the message.

 **Are we still on 4 drinks 2nite?**

She rolled her eyes, her lips curving into a small smile. It was one of her fuck buddies. She'd been seeing quite a few of them shortly after Connor took the company's money. But ever since Nico's betrayal, she had been with a different man every single night. Daniel was walking right beside her and she didn't hide the message that was displayed on the screen. She checked her watch and texted her 'friend' back immediately, not really caring that Daniel was watching. Finally she stopped in front of their town car.

"I believe we are officially done for the evening. We can talk more about the Donna Karan contract tomorrow." Said Daniel awkwardly as they reached their town car.

"Oh, yeah we can set up a meeting for later this week. Uh…you can take the town car, I'll hail a cab."

"No, Wilhelmina…" He began to protest.

"Daniel, it's totally fine. I insist."

"I also insist."

Thankfully, a cab stopped by a few feet away dropping somebody off. That seemed to put an end to their little fun game of 'I insist'.

"Goodnight, Daniel." She said walking over to the waiting cab wearing a broad grin on her face. There was that cuteness again, Daniel thought. She waved goodbye before sliding in the cab, to meet her friend for the night. Daniel waved back and watched as the cab pulled away while suddenly overwhelmed with an inexplicable stab of jealousy.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6:**

The following morning Daniel sat at his desk, stealing glances at Wilhelmina through the glass door, mulling over the jealousy feeling that crept up on him when Wilhelmina's suitor sent her that text after their meeting. He had a hard time falling asleep the previous night thinking about it, going over theories as to why he felt that way but he quickly contributed the feeling to the fact that he was about to suggest celebratory drinks and some asshole texted her and she chose to celebrate a major account with another man. Frustrated, he sprung to his feet and walked out of his office, he dashed through the office and headed for to features find Betty working alone quietly. She looked up at him and immediately turned her attention back to her work. She was definitely still mad at him.

"Betty." He said tenderly.

"Yes, Daniel?" She said with her attention still on her work.

"Betty, I'm sorry." He offered.

"Uh-huh" She replied in a childlike manner, causing Daniel to stifle a laugh at her behavior. Sitting down on the chair in front of her desk, he spoke again.

"I was wrong. I never should have yelled at you and said all those hurtful things when you accused me of an office affair. I'm really sorry." Betty finally looked up at him with a softened expression.

"I'm sorry too. But I'm not mad at you for yelling at me."

"Is it because I accused of not caring anymore?" He asked.

"That too, but it's how you lashed out at me in her defense, Daniel. I've never seen that look on your face before and when I was talking about her, it was like you wanted to hit me or something."

"C'mon, Betty you know I'll never do something like that."

"I know. And apology accepted."

"Thank you."

"But Daniel, what's happening between you and her?"

"Betty, honestly, nothing. Wilhelmina and I are just friends." Betty looked at him in the eye as he was saying so and he looked innocent enough. However, she had a slight issue with his answer. He didn't say that he and Wilhelmina were friends, he used the phrase 'just friends' which usually comes out as a defense and a justification, without the other party realizing it. And this was the second time he'd said it.

"Then, I'm glad." She offered and gave him a small smile but she couldn't help the fear that arose inside her. Betty knew that Wilhelmina was a ruthless woman and Daniel was still vulnerable, she could play with Daniel's emotions and leave him.

* * *

Sitting at her throne, proof reading a copy of a major advertising contract, Wilhelmina was startled by Marc waltzing in her office. She knitted her brows in confusion at his sudden presence as they had been like ships passing through the night ever since he broke the news that he was going to go work for Daniel. So she leaned back in her chair and watched the nervous wreck that she once called an assistant and secretly a friend try to find his voice.

"Willie." He said smiling meekly.

"Marc."

"Uh…how are you?"

"I'm good. Can I help you with something?" She asked coldly.

"Willie, I know that you probably feel betrayed…"

"I don't." She said hastily, cutting him off.

"But…"

"Marc, you wanted to further your career and you thought it wouldn't happen under my purview. You don't need to apologize. There's nothing wrong with ambition." She said, averting her eyes from him and back to the contract.

"That's…great. I…uh…I'm glad." He stammered.

"Good." She said ending the conversation. But he still stood there in front of her, so she flipped her laptop open in an attempt to get him to take the hint and leave her alone. But he remained on the spot. She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Marc? Is there something else?" She asked irritably. Marc parked himself on the chair in front of her desk.

"I was just thinking since we just made up, we should go out and…uh have dinner tonight."

"I can't tonight."

"Oh, hot date?" He asked, his interest prominently peaking.

"Something like that." She replied dismissively.

"How about tomorrow night or we could do lunch…you know girl talk…it has been a while." As Marc rattled on, pushing the subject of them talking, it hit her. Quirking her brow at him, she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.

"Marc?" She said as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Huh?"

"It's a little bit coincidental, don't you think? Deciding to bury the hatchet the day after Betty confronted Daniel about him leaving his watch at my place, insinuating an affair. Amanda has been listening to my conversations…like someone used to sometime ago. And she came to blab a private conver-…."

"No, Willie, it's…"

"And now you want to soften me so you can find out about my 'sleazy affair' with Daniel. You actually think that this would get me to tell you?"

"Uh…no?" He answered coyly.

"You really think I'm fucking him?" She asked with her brows furrowed.

"I…Willie, no. Of course, not." He answered, chuckling nervously.

"The man just lost his wife, Marc. I know I'm a devious bitch but I have lines that I just don't cross and HE is one of them. So you can spare yourself the time and energy because he is the last person that I will ever sleep with." He noticed that her expression was somewhat neutral, she wasn't mad, she wasn't being defensive, she was being honest.

"Oh, that wasn't the reason…it's not why I wanted to…I just…it's been a while…you know things between us…" He stuttered.

"Let me save your time and mine…there's nothing going on between me and Daniel. There's no scheme, no plan, there's nothing. Our relationship is purely professional."

"I hear you and I believe you Willie but I don't like the way things ended between us."

"God, if I say we can do lunch tomorrow, will you stop?" She asked irritably as she slammed the laptop shut in exasperation.

"Oh…Yes, Willie. So, lunch tomorrow?"

"Yes" She replied, eliciting a smile from him. He scrunched up his nose, and watched her closely; he could have sworn he saw the corners of her mouth turn up.

"Now, please get out of my office." She said dismissively.

* * *

A few nights later, Daniel and Wilhelmina sat in his office finishing up some redlining. Willie was the one who was actually redlining the documents on the laptop while Daniel sat on his chase with his dinner while his laptop sat beside him. As they worked, their conversation shifted back and forth between work and personal life. As they sat there, she recounted her lunch with Marc.

"So, what'd you say to him?" Daniel questioned, smirking.

"I told him the same thing that I told him when he came to see me…there's nothing going on between us." She explained.

"And that got him to drop it?"

"Have you met Marc? He went on and on about some glow that he sees on me and how he's known me for five years. I practically had to threaten him with death to get him to shut up about it." Daniel laughed.

"He got it wrong, though. Your glow is from getting some on the regular." He stated with a smirk.

She scoffed "Excuse me?"

"C'mon I was with you a few nights ago when you received the text from that fella." This time she let out a hysterical chortle.

"Oh, yeah. I just…with everything that's going on lately, it's the only thing that keeps my mind off other things." She admitted.

"What about therapy?"

"Therapy is a 50 minute session once a week and it's not the same thing. Therapy is mental, and sex is physical. I consider both of them helpful."

"You know if you wanna blow off steam, there's a gym for that." He suggested worriedly and she sensed it in his tone.

"I go to the gym 4 times a week, thank you very much. You don't have to be concerned, I'm a big girl okay?" She said grinning at him.

"I know but Wilhelmina, I know what you're doing, pretty well. I've been there…masking my problems with meaningless sex."

"Don't worry, I won't get addicted." She assured, rather feebly. "I've been doing this for years. I won't get attached. I can have sex with no ties, like a man."

"Really?" He asked, lifting his brows. Now if his chaise had a back rest, he would have folded his arms and leaned back so he could have some locker room talk with Willie. At that moment he found himself genuinely interested in a conversation with her about her escapades but he quickly dismissed his desire as he knew that, that's not how they rolled.

"I know it's probably coming as a shock to you but there are some women who can fuck without any strings attached. Now since we've been talking about my escapades, have you been getting some?" She asked causing his heat to rise to his cheeks.

"Willie." He warned, out of embarrassment.

"So, it's okay to bring up my sex life and I can't ask about yours? You think that's fair?" She challenged.

"Okay, no"

"No, what?" She enquired.

"I haven't been…getting some." He admitted.

"The last time you had sex was with that creepy lady?"

"What creepy lady?"

"That lady from the cult who used to follow you wherever you went."

"Oh? Uh…Natalie? No! She and I…she was going through her own personal matter, we weren't screwing. At all. The last time I had sex was with Molly."

"WHAT?" She exclaimed with her eyes widened.

"Yeah."

"Why? Oh, please don't tell me it's got something to do with what I said to you at the Bahamas. That was almost three months ago."

"I know. It's just my mother told me that I need to stay away from meaningless relationships for now and mourn my wife the right way."

Willing herself not to utter an insult, she asked "Claire told you that?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"After she heard about me not being able to get it up back in the Bahamas. She told me that I'm not that guy anymore and I should stop trying to force myself to go back. She told me to try celibacy for a while."

"And you're doing as she told you?" She asked confusedly.

"She's right, though. I mean it's easier." He stated unconvincingly. To his surprise, Willie didn't roll her eyes at the ridiculousness of his theory. Instead she looked at him as if she was extremely concerned about him.

"Daniel, this has to stop." She said softly.

"What?"

"This thing of being told what to do all the time." She elucidated.

"I don't…always to what I'm told all the time." He disagreed apprehensively earning himself an eye roll.

"Yes you do. The Editor-in-Chief job; Bradford told you to take and you did. The relationship with Sofia; you weren't ready for a commitment and you were ready to give up but Betty told you to try and you did. And it was the same story with the proposal, Sofia told you to propose to her and you did. Molly; I told you to make your move at my party because I had my sights on Connor and Betty advised you to marry her at the Hayden Planetarium. You get the pattern?"

"I see." He whispered, the realization hitting him "You know I never thought about it in that way."

"Except for the Molly part, though. It worked out for the best, you know that." She assured.

"Did it?" He asked glaring deeply at her.

"Yes, being with her humbled you and you got to experience true and unconditional love. Most people go through life without experiencing even a small quantity of what you had with her."

"You're right." He said as her words stopped him from saying how he really felt about the entire situation.

"What you two had was real, no matter how short it was."

"You're absolutely right…So you also think I shouldn't listen to my mom?"

"Do what you think is right. Do Daniel."

"But what if I'm wrong?…what if I fuck up?"

"Then you get up, dust yourself off, take a different route and move the hell on. We make mistakes in life."

"And all we gotta do is learn from them." He said

"Exactly." She agreed. He looked at her for a few seconds then grinned mischievously at her.

"You know Wilhelmina, you're smart, you're probably the smartest person I know."

"Believe me, I say this with no ego at all but, I know." She simply stated earning another smile from him.

"I know that you know and I love that. And I don't think that's an ego, it's self assurance and there's nothing wrong with it. I wish I could be like that."

"All in due time, Danny boy. You know what? I'm taking your advice on the gym this evening. Now that you've stuffed yourself with kung pao chicken like a lonely girl, do you want to join me and burn some of it off?" She asked as she shut down her computer.

"Are you sure? I mean aren't you going to…have a…dinner with a friend tonight?" He joked.

"I can cancel." She said reaching for her _BlackBerry_ causing Daniel to smile. She smiled back, feeling that Daniel's company would be much better than what she planned tonight.

"I will be exercising with Wilhelmina Slater. This should go down in history." He joked.

As they tidied up before heading to the Mode gym, Daniel spoke

"So you go to the gym 4 times week? Why?"

"Why not?"

"I mean you look ho-…your body is…you look beau-…uh, I mean, you are fit." He stammered over the appropriate adjective "You look fit. You'd look fit despite the extensive working out."

"I know that. All I need is thirty minutes, two days a week but….I don't know, working out is another remedy of mine, I guess." She replied as he walked toward the door.

"I see." He replied as his male took over and his eyes roamed her form inappropriately.

"I'll just run to my office and get my workout gear and I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Okay." He said as she walked out.

* * *

In the months that they've been hanging out, the pair's closeness had grown. If it wasn't for their past they could have easily called themselves friends but that wasn't the case. But one undeniable thing about them was the bond that they had formed through the talks they'd been having, whether at the gym or their 'favorite' bar. She had become his rescuer; the same woman who for three years was serving as his terminator. In addition to his new found 'friendship', Daniel had been slowly developing an attraction to her. It's not like he hadn't been attracted to her in the past, it's just that it was always a look-but-can't-touch sort of attraction. He was attracted to her T and A, her piercing green blue eyes, her hair, her brow and nose wrinkle when she was angry. But now things were different; those were not the features he was fascinated with. He was attracted to her soul, her mind, her spirit.

He was aware how foolish it would sound to other people but she was a different person from what they thought her to be. Ever since he caught a glimpse of this side of her, he was completely enamored by her; her smile, her laugh, her facial expressions, her mind. And that wasn't the only thing different about her; she was different from other women in general. She was smarter than all the women he'd gone out with, she was confident, she was determined and self assured. Most women needed assurance from men and other people and had trouble believing in themselves. What most people, including him have been mistaking as an ego complex and arrogance was actually self assurance. Which is probably why Fey was threatened by her.

Walking down the tube in the morning, Wilhelmina and Daniel talked about their upcoming meetings and meeting agendas for the day.

"So, how was the meeting with the Zegna people yesterday?" She questioned.

"It was good. They've increased their ad buy by 3% with _Hudson_ and they also purchased some fractional ad space at _Player_."

"That's incredible."

"I can't believe you let me handle it all by myself." He said.

"Your own half of the company plus Zegna is a male fashion line." She said pointedly.

"That has never stopped you before." He teased.

"I know."

"You should have seen their faces; they actually thought I was joking when I said you weren't coming."

She scoffed "When you're done having your coffee and morning bagel, come to my office and give me a thorough update."

"Will do…Hey, why exactly did you let me take the meeting with Zegna?" He questioned.

"I trust you." She said shrugging dismissively. He paused walking, totally taken aback.

"What?" He asked, grinning.

"You heard me." She answered smiling back.

"Can I get that on record?"

"You already have it on record; your memory, so that I can deny it if ever asked." She joked and walked to the reception desk while he turned the other direction and walked to his office.

* * *

A few nights later he sat alone in his apartment with a beer, trying very hard to focus on the round table discussion on ESPN but he just couldn't. He couldn't stop thinking about Wilhelmina. He blushed as he flashed back to their conversation and couldn't help the feeling that crept up on him when Wilhelmina uttered that she trusted him. He couldn't help his widening grin at thinking about her request of seeing him after his breakfast. So she knew his morning routine and even though she'd never admit it, she did pay attention, he thought.

"So that I-don't-care attitude of hers is just an act, a defense mechanism." He said out loud.

And then again he thought: Any colleague of three years would notice a breakfast routine of another colleague, especially his, which consisted of a bagel and coffee on a daily basis. Then why did it matter so much to him that Wilhelmina was at paying attention to him? Then he realized that he wasn't just attracted to her, he had feelings for her. However, he was stuck, he didn't know what to do with this infatuation he'd been having with her. He didn't know whether to brush it off and push it aside and hope it will go away, like it did last time. He knew that even the thoughts of her in a romantic way were totally forbidden, let alone a relationship.

Still lounging in his couch, he began seriously contemplating a possibility of a relationship between them. Could it work? He knew how complicated things could get if he told her and she didn't feel the same and he was aware of the complication that would come with their relationship. They didn't have smooth history, at all. The press and the entire industry wouldn't give them a chance, they would kill them before they could take their first weekend getaway. But try as he might, he couldn't stop the thoughts of a future with her. For days, he was shaken out of a reverie by an employee a couple of times day.

"Oh, what the hell? What have I got to lose?" He said he jumped from the couch and went dashed to his bedroom to put some clothes on. Life was too short, and if he had feelings for Wilhelmina he was going to tell her. If he hadn't made the mistake of harboring feelings for Molly, he definitely would have gotten to know her better. He didn't want to make the same mistake this time and if Wilhelmina didn't feel the same way, so be it. What did he have to lose?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The lyrics used in this chapter are from the song 'Why Don't You Kiss Her?' by Jesse McCartney. And I do not own them.

 **CHAPTER 7:**

Daniel knocked on her door and waited for a few moments before he heard her heels clicking towards the door. As he mentally rehearsed what he was going to say to her, he began to freak out. 'Am I crazy? What the hell am I thinking? She's gonna kick me to the curb.' Out of panic and fear, he decided to walk away. Just as he was turning to leave, the door flung open revealing an utterly astounded Wilhelmina. Noticing her flawless hair and makeup, his eyes devoured the rest of her; she was clad in a ball gown, wearing a sapphire pendant with matching earrings. Just as he was taking her in, Willie spoke, causing him to snap back to reality; that he was standing in front of Wilhelmina Slater's door and hasn't a word in almost 30 seconds, which was pretty creepy.

"Daniel?" She said, questioningly.

"Uh…Wilhelmina…I wanted to…" He stammered.

"What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" She asked as a wave of panic set in. "Please come in."

"Uh…thanks…wow you look beautiful…I mean, it's just…uh…where have you been? Was there an award ceremony I didn't know about?" She gave a tight lipped smile in response.

"Actually, I was just about to…"

"Willie, are you ready to go?" Came a foreign accent and Daniel froze on the threshold. He glanced behind her, trying to find the source of the voice and there came out a gentleman from the hallway in a tuxedo, fastening his bowtie.

"As I was saying I was just about to go out now." She clarified as the gentleman walked over. As he came closer, Daniel recognized him and his stomach dropped. The feeling of foolishness doubled upon seeing that she was with someone and who it was.

"Daniel Meade." Acknowledged the gentleman.

"Rodrigo...Veloso?" Said Daniel as he felt a stab of jealousy at seeing him.

"How are you, man?" Said Rodrigo shaking his hand firmly.

"I'm…uh…I'm good. I didn't know you were in town."

"Why would you?"

"I…I don't know…" Daniel answered nervously, the feeling of silliness escalating.

"That was a joke, man." Rodrigo said sniggering and Daniel responded with a nervous chuckle. Sensing that the two needed some time alone, Rodrigo excused himself.

"Willie, I'll…uh fix myself a drink while you talk _Mode_ business, okay?" He said while touching her arm gently causing Daniel to mentally curse him. He gave a curt nod to Daniel and walked off, vanishing in one of the door ways.

"Uh…Is there an emergency?" Willie questioned.

"No. There…isn't. It's not important, really. Just go on…enjoy your evening."

"Daniel, Is everything alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, please don't worry, we can talk about it tomorrow." He turned and walked away. She closed the a door and leaned against it, completely dumbfounded.

"That was weird." She murmured to herself.

We're the best of friends

And we share our secrets

She knows everything that is on my mind

Lately something's changed

As I lie awake in my bed

A voice here inside my head

Softly says

Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and feeling like he just took a sucker punch to the gut was not how Daniel anticipated the outcome of the evening. He wasn't sure how he expected things to turn out. He wasn't expecting much but deep down he hoped that Wilhelmina felt the same way as he did and maybe the evening would end with a kiss. However he never in a million years thought he'd find her in the company of Rodrigo Veloso, looking they were heading to the Oscars®. He didn't know where they were going but he knew how their evening was going to end; with a fuck.

He heaved a frustrated sigh and reasoned with himself. 'Maybe it was a sign. Maybe I wasn't meant to tell Wilhelmina that I have feelings for her.' Rodrigo's presence was a sign for him to remind him of who she is and what she's done. Nonetheless, getting shot down that brutally before he could even confess his feelings still stung. Why the hell was he mad at her for? For having sex with whomever she felt like screwing as she was single woman.

He was mad at himself for feeling that way about her, and what frustrated him more is that his attraction to her was much more powerful than what he'd ever felt for any other woman. Maybe it was because he finally knew a little something about her past, something that played a major role in her attitude in life. But he seemed to want to know more about her, he wanted to be with her.

Why don't you kiss her

Why don't you tell her

Why don't you let her see

The feelings that you hide

'Cause she'll never know

If you never show

The way you feel inside

Returning from the event later that evening, Willie and Rodrigo chatted casually in the town car.

"So, what's the deal with Daniel Meade?" Asked Rodrigo.

"What do you mean?" She asked looking at him quizzically.

"What was he doing in your place at that time?"

"I…don't know. That was really awkward. Maybe he came to discuss something to do with _Mode_ and upon seeing that I was going somewhere, he realized that it wasn't important." She answered honestly.

"I meant what's the deal between you and him?"

"What do you mean?" She asked scrunching up her face.

"Willie, when I came out to the living room, he looked at me like he wanted to punch me."

"So? Maybe it was…maybe Alexis told him about you two and what really happened back then."

"That is not it. I'm a man and I know that look."

"What look?"

"The look that says 'Get your hands off my girlfriend.'" Willie scoffed at that.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I think he likes you."

"No, he does not." She disagreed stiffly.

"Yes, he does. Trust me."

"No he doesn't. Why the hell would he be attracted to me?"

"Your…hotness?"

"Maybe that's true on some level. I have caught him starring at my ass a number of times when he started at _Mode_ but that's it. Daniel sleeps with models that are at least ten years younger than him."

"But he changed since he started dating the dead woman. He turned in his player card back then. He made news even in Brazil when he settled down and started looking like an idoso." Wilhelmina responded with a small laugh.

"Excuse me? Daniel doesn't look like an old man."

"Yes he does and that beard. He makes all playboys of the world get scared of settling down."

"I happen to like his beard." Willie defended the absent Daniel.

"So you do like him." He accused.

"Rui, come on. Why are you interrogating me about Daniel Meade all of a sudden?" She asked, her voice turning serious.

"Willie, we might have a no strings attached sexual relationship but I'm one of the few if not only sex buddy whom you also talk to as a friend. You remember when you had cold feet when you were going to marry Bradford Meade?"

"His father. Which makes it forbidden. Not to mention the shit I did to his family."

"Does he know you were involved?"

"In instigating the plan for you to date Alexis and get her out of the country? I think so…maybe Bradford or Alexis told him."

"So? I don't think he cares. Willie, don't stand in the way of your happiness."

"Rui, are you serious right now? Happiness?"

"Yes. Willie, you and I are alike in many ways. We are both strong, firm, ruthless talented devilishly gorgeous people." Willie let out a laugh at the last statement "I understand you because I recognize you from me."

"Rodrigo, I don't want to hear it." She said softly before pressing her lips to his in a soft and passionate kiss and began fumbling with his bowtie.

Oh I'm so afraid to make that first move

Just a touch and we

Could cross the line

Every time she's near

I wanna never let her go

Confess to her what my heart knows

Hold her close

The following morning, Wilhelmina sat at her sanctuary filling out paper work while casting glances at the television set, watching _Fashion Buzz_. Memories of the previous evening kept on filling her thoughts and it wasn't the man she was with that was occupying her mind; it was Daniel. How strange and awkward was that? She didn't even get the chance to get him to sit and talk properly. They had their conversation while he was standing on the threshold. Whatever it was, it certainly had nothing to do with _Mode_ because he would have brought up the issue before or during the creative meeting. As she was contemplating the weirdness of the situation,

"Mmhhh, somebody got it all this morning." Amanda exclaimed gleefully as she waltzed in her office wearing a broad and mischievous smile.

"What?"

"Oh, come on, Wilhelmina, who's the lucky guy…or guys? You know Marc once mentioned how sometimes you like to…"

"Amanda! Excuse me, but when did WE become friends?" She asked, tilting her eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, you talked to Marc about all your car washes. So spill." She said she settled on the chair in front of her desk.

"Amanda, stop."

"Only a threesome will leave you with that look on your face…or maybe you banged a foreign guy. What was he? French? English? Italia-…" The young woman stopped speaking as Willie's expression continued to harden.

"Excuse me?" Willie said with her legendary death glare.

"Uh…uh…Your call sheet for the Wild Vest Shoot." She said setting the document on her desk and practically ran out of the office.

Why don't you kiss her

Why don't you tell her

Why don't you let her see

The feelings that you hide

'Cause she'll never know

If you never show

The way you feel inside

Daniel strode down the street, incredibly upset; Marc had forgotten to book the car again in addition to forgetting his food. He exhaled angrily just thinking about Marc and his obvious 'slip ups' and he was driving him crazy. For the past week, he had been messing up deliberately in hopes of getting fired and sent back to Wilhelmina. 'Shit!' He mentally cursed 'He's probably doing all of this shit so I could fire him so he can back to Wilhelmina. Little does he know that she wants nothing to do with him.' Then unconsciously, Wilhelmina and that night came back.

Getting shot down by Rodrigo's presence at her apartment almost a week ago resulted in Daniel avoiding Wilhelmina at every cost. The only interaction he seemed to have with her was business related. His thoughts were interjected by someone forcefully bumping onto him. Taking a look at the culprit, his eyes softened at seeing who it was.

"Betty. What the… Are you all right?" Daniel questioned confusedly.

"No, I'm gonna die!" Betty replied melodramatically "Wilhelmina's making me write a first-person piece on how comfortable these heels are."

"What? Do you want me talk to her?"

"No. I'm trying to pay my dues so she'll give me something better to write."

"No, I can…"

"Daniel I know you two are pals now, but please, let it go. Will you walk with me please?"

"Okay, but we have to walk fast. Marc forgot to book my car again. I'm literally running to an appointment at Coach. He's really been messing up a lot lately."

"Marc? Really? He's an amazing assistant. And no offence, Daniel, but you're not the best communicator."

"What?...That's…Betty, but….No…What?" He stammered.

"See? I mean, I understood that, but I've worked with you for a long time."

"Alright, I guess, maybe. All right, I've got to go left here."

"Okay, just peel off gently." She said before pulling away.

* * *

Sipping her afternoon tea, Willie sat at her desk short listing some media kits that she and Daniel were selecting for future issues. She found herself smiling when she thought about the debate they had about a week ago about his choices. They had laughed it off when they realized that they still had it, even more so when she revealed to Daniel that she completely agreed with him and that the only reason she disagreed with him was to antagonize him. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by a warm feeling at thinking about Daniel. She sort of missed having him around when they worked after hours and she could tell that he had been steering clear of her and she knew it was because of Rodrigo. Now she became certain that Daniel knew about her involvement in Bradford's plan to get Alexis out of the country 3 years ago.

A knock on her door snapped her out of her thoughts,

"Come in." She said. Daniel walked in and immediately walked over to the chair in front of her desk. "Daniel, hey."

"Hi. Willie, we need to talk." He said crustily.

"What's going on?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Betty. Why did you make her wear those heels and walk a whole mile?"

"It WAS her concept; 'Walk a mile in her shoes' and I had HER walk a mile." She retorted unceremoniously. He shot up from the chair angrily at her nonchalance.

"What's the matter with you?" He questioned gruffly as he placed his palms on the surface of her desk, towering over her.

"Did she tell you the full story?"

"She didn't have to. Why do you have to be so mean, woman?"

"Mean? So, it was okay for her to call an assignment I gave her bullshit?" She asked, her tone still dripping with indifference and it was beginning to get to him.

"Oh come on, I'm sure she didn't say that." He argued.

"She might as well have. She called me out in front of the staff, told me that the assignment was light and that she wanted to write something different and put what I told her in her own voice. She actually had the balls to say 'who's going to believe that there's a comfortable stiletto?'" Daniel softened a little at that explanation. He would have been angry too if someone told him that they wanted to write something different in front of the staff.

"Well, still it was mean." She slammed her laptop shut in aggravation and looked at him, her nostrils flaring up and her cheeks a bright shade of pink.

"I don't give a shit if it was mean or not. And I don't give a shit how they feel about me, my employees will respect me." She affirmed.

"Respect you? That's not respect, that's fear. And this little façade of being the HBIC…that's not you being in charge, that's you being angry at the world and everybody in it!" He blurted and his face immediately washed with regret at seeing her expression change to uncontaminated anger. They both knew what he was referring to.

"Angry at the world? Daniel, I'm not angry at the world, but right now, I'm angry at YOU."

"Me?"

"Yes! Being your assistant was Betty's first serious job, the first step at achieving her dreams and she was stuck with YOU. You were such a screw up that her entire job was to handle your personal life, schedule your naps and cover for your ass to your father and to the media, that she missed the one thing a person so smart, young yet naïve as she needed…Mentorship; someone to teach her how a magazine and the rest of the world works. And you failed her! And now you're coming to me…"

"Wilhelmina!"

"Now I'm sorry if you and Betty's feelings are bruised but she needs to know her place and if she has any objections to any assignment that I give her, she should at least do me the courtesy of voicing them in private."

"Wilhelmina, whoa, calm down."

"And now you're giving me shit because I told her what to do as her boss? Not every boss she'll meet in life is going to be a fuck up turned best friend that she can say whatever she likes to. I'm operating in the real world, Daniel and in that world, subordinates know their place!" She screamed.

"Willie, all I'm saying is…"

"And one more thing, DON'T YOU EVER use my personal life as a tool to make your argument. You are in no position to neither psychoanalyze me nor judge me. You are not my shrink. Stay out of my goddamn business!" She hissed and Daniel just backed out of the room in fear.

What would you say

I wonder would she just turn away

Or would she promise me

That she's here to stay

It hurts me to wait

I keep asking myself

Daniel released a sigh as he fell back on his chaise feeling like shit. He was so angry with himself that he resorted to the boys-tease-the-girls-they-like approach when dealing with his feelings for her. He didn't know what to do or what to say to her and then he used the only opportunity he had and lashed out at her for punishing Betty. But his anger wasn't about what happened to Betty and he knew it. Maybe they were right, all of them. Marc accused him of coming off as needy while Amanda and Betty accused him of not being a good communicator and Willie indirectly accused him of getting everything on a silver platter. And he was beginning to see it and he didn't like it very much. What was he expecting? Wilhelmina to sense that he had feelings for her and confess first? And they would start dating and have fun and sex for all eternity? 'Maybe they were right, I'm so used to getting what I want that I throw a fucking tantrum whenever I don't get my way. I behaved like a fucking spoilt brat and Willie doesn't respond to that, she wants a goddamn man. God, I've got to apologize.'

On the double, he stood up and hurried out of his office, making his way to Wilhelmina's. He knocked softly and she tore her gaze away from the monitor and locked eyes with his.

"Hey, Wilhelmina. Uh…got a minute?"

"How did the meeting with…"

"I just want to apologize." He said solemnly, cutting her off.

She didn't respond and she just stared at him with a neutral expression. He walked over and sat down on the chair in front of her.

"Wilhelmina. I'm sorry. I'm an ass okay? I shouldn't have even come to you about the Betty situation, let alone talk to you like that, especially bringing up…your…problems. I was dead wrong." He said apologetically.

"Okay." She said dryly.

"Okay?" He asked looking at her quizzically.

"Yes."

"Are you sure? I mean, I realize that…"

"You were just being an asshole. We all have our moments." She said monotonously.

"Willie, that's not…"

"How did the meeting with the Dsquare reps go?" She questioned, cutting him off.

"We didn't get into much business, really. We were just having drinks and talking shit."

"Thank God I didn't go. So you guys didn't talk any figures or…nothing at all."

"Well, they were…uh kind of late. I was at the Waverly and they went to the Farmhouse."

"How the hell did that happen?" She asked.

"Marc told me he rescheduled the meeting and I went to the Waverly and they went to Farmhouse and then I looked like a dick when they walked in, telling me that they waited for a half an hour and then called my assistant who told them where I was."

"That's strange. That doesn't sound like Marc."

"He said he did it for me because I'm needy. He was forgetting my food, my coffee, forgetting to book my cars…I kind of got angry 'cause I though he wanted to come back to you." He explained leaving out the biggest reason why he was acting out.

"I'm glad you didn't fire him. Now if you'll excuse me…"

Daniel didn't argue further, he just stood up and walked out.

Why don't you kiss her

Why don't you tell her

Why don't you let her see

The feelings that you hide

'Cause she'll never know

If you never show

The way you feel inside

Days went by after Daniel's attempted apology and his relationship with Wilhelmina had taken a few steps back to being neutral and it felt foreign to him. She only spoke to him with work related matters, and turned down his offer of helping her with the book the previous night. Nonetheless, she didn't deliberately disagree with him and insult him in meetings like he had expected. No matter how bizarre it would seem, this was worse that when they were adversaries. He wanted to be mad at her for giving him the cold shoulder after he tried to apologize but he couldn't because he knew what kind of a person she was and he knew he was in the wrong for accusing her of being angry and the world. Why shouldn't she be? She lost a man she loved and her baby and he accused her of being bitter all because he didn't know how to address his feelings. Maybe it was time he manned up and told her how he felt, it didn't matter if she rejected him. He didn't want to live his life that way anymore. He spent so much time crushing on Molly and didn't do anything about his feelings, and when the time finally came, he only got three months with her.

One evening, he wearily rubbed his eyes as he tried to concentrate on the monitor in front of him. He was going through the new media kits. He could have finished redlining over an hour ago but it proved to be a pretty difficult task as Wilhelmina became a constant presence in his mind. He averted his eyes from the laptop monitor and realized that the employees were gone for the night. He decided to head home and finish everything tomorrow as Wilhelmina would probably change it anyway. He put on and his coat and walked out.

He sighed and yawned as he waited for the elevator, growing impatient. Just then he heard a distinct click of heels against the tiled floor and knew it was her. Wilhelmina appeared and knitted her brows at seeing Daniel at the office that late.

"Wilhelmina. I didn't realize you were still here." He said casually.

"Well, I am. Can we be done with the small talk now?"

They stood side by side with their arms folded. Finally, the elevator doors slid open. Daniel gestured for Willie to go in first and surprisingly she didn't protest and walked right in. Daniel pressed the lobby button as she folded her arms and stared ahead, Daniel turned to look at her and mirrored her pose. She felt his eyes on her and she turned and glanced at him.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Daniel, for the last time, no." She offered with a hint of annoyance.

"C'mon…" All of a sudden, the elevator came to a screeching halt and the lights went out.

"Goddamn it!" Willie exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" He asked cautiously.

"Yeah, you?"

"I'm good."

"What the hell happened?"

"Let me find out." He said, reaching for the emergency phone and called maintenance "Hello. The elevator just stopped and there's no power and we're stuck…oh?...Just two people, me and my colleague…we're fine. How long?….Alright, thank you." He sighed as he put the phone back.

"Apparently there is a city wide black out. The maintenance guy said we may be here a while. So, I guess we should just sit tight."

"Alright." She said monotonously as leaned back against the wall.

To Daniel, the blackout seemed to have been orchestrated by fate as it allowed he and Wilhelmina some alone time. He managed to start up a conversation with her and got her to talk to him. And it worked, after the tension eased, the conversation flowed smoothly and Daniel decided to take advantage of the situation and address their small issue.

"Willie, I'm sorry." He started. She scoffed and simply stood up attempting to avoid him somehow. Daniel grabbed her hand in an attempt to get her to sit back down but she snatched her hand out his grasp.

"I really am. I was wrong, okay?"

"I know, you said that already." She said calmly. He stood up and took her hand in his before he spoke.

"Willie, c'mon I'm trying…I shouldn't have brought up the thing with Betty. I know you were doing your job. I would have been pissed too. I took out my frustration on you and I was dead wrong."

"It's okay, Daniel. You really don't have to apologize. Nonetheless, I have to ask...did I do something? Or did I say something that upset you…before the thing with Betty?"

"No"

"Was it because of Rodrigo? Is because of Alex-…"

"No Alexis told me about him conspiring with my dad to get her out of the country…and your involvement." He admitted. "But that wasn't it. I didn't go off on you because of it. Truth is, I really don't know how to act around you anymore, Willie." He confessed.

"What?"

"I…I…just…I don't know how to… I didn't how you'll react. I don't…" He stammered

"Daniel, what the hell are you trying to…" He grabbed her waist and closed the space between them and then tenderly touched her lips with his. She stiffened at first but gave in to the kiss and responded with the same tenderness but suddenly her sanity came back and she pulled away.

"What was that?" She whispered, glaring at him in confusion.

"That was me." He said with a smile that Wilhelmina at first thought was cocky but as she stared at him, she could see that he was just glad; glad as if he had been longing to kiss her for a long time. "…showing you how I feel about you." Her heart hammered in her chest at his confession.

"You what?...about me?" She whispered.

"I have feelings for you, Wilhelmina." He admitted. She swallowed hard. Her eyes bored into his as she tried to process what he just revealed. What the hell was she supposed to say now? Say it back?

While she was still pondering the matter, the lights and power of the elevator came back on and they felt themselves descending. That's when she pulled herself free from his grip on her waist. She looked at him and his eyes seemed to have been searching hers for an answer, willing her to say that she also had feelings for him. Her lips twitched as if she was going to open her mouth and say something. However before she could reply, the elevator dinged, signaling that they had reached the lobby. She quickly walked out without another word. Her actions didn't completely shock Daniel, but it was definitely not the kind of reaction he was expecting from her. He expected her to say something, not run. He ran his hand on his hair in defeat as he watched her getting into her town car.

Why don't you kiss her (tell her you love her)

Why don't u tell her (tell her you need her)

Why don't you let her see

The feelings that you hide

'Cause she'll never know

If you never show

The way you feel inside...

Why don't you kiss her?


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8:**

Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, Daniel glanced at the clock one more time; it was past her arrival time and more _Mode_ employees had begun to pour in. He'd arrived a bit early than usual, in hopes of getting some time to talk things over. After the epic kiss the previous night, he needed to know where they stood. He was slightly scared that he wouldn't get the answer he was hoping for since she stormed out of the elevator without saying a word. After a few too many glances at her office, he picked up his cell phone and scrolled for her number and the call immediately went to voicemail. Checking his schedule on his mobile, he noticed that there were no meetings scheduled with her for today.

Another hour went by painfully slowly and he was growing agitated. He had almost forgotten that she was a first class diva. All she had to do was tell him the truth if she felt something back or not, or ask for more time to figure her feelings out. He really didn't see the need for dramatics and running off like a little bitch. Just as he was about to try her cell phone again, he spotted Amanda, her assistant chatting with Marc. He jolted from his chair and darted out the office.

"Hey, Amanda. Has Wilhelmina come in yet?"

"No. She took the day off. Her calendar is totally blocked for today." The girl answered.

"It is? Do you know why?"

"No"

"Is there something urgent?" Marc interjected.

"Not that urgent. I was just worried, that's all."

"Worried? About what?" Amanda probed.

"Nothing." Daniel said sheepishly.

"She's fine, Daniel." Marc assured.

"Marc, do you perhaps know another number of hers?"

"No." He answered impulsively.

"Marc?"

"Daniel, I really don't know. I'm not her assistant anymore, I'm yours, remember?"

He knew from his expression that he knew something however he knew he wouldn't tell him. He turned and angrily strode back to his office. Sitting at his desk, he stared at the same page of the document in front of him, letting out perturbed sighs every other minute, wondering where she could be.

"Where the hell is she?" He said under his breath.

* * *

She pulled up at the cemetery and gripped the steering wheel firmly, trying to find some inner strength. She let out a shaky sigh and then grabbed the bouquets of white lilies and red roses before stepping out of the car with weariness in her eyes and strode gradually. The short walk led her to the final resting place of the two men she loved more than anything in the world. She stared at the headstones as a feeling of despair surged through her. It was at this very spot that she stood 18 years ago and watched as the caskets of her husband and son lowered to the ground. She bent and laid the lilies in front of her son's headstone and put the roses in front of her former husband's. Flashing back to their happy times together, her mind was forced to go back to when it was taken from her.

Flashback:

She stood in the massive ball room with a champagne flute in hand with her colleagues who were talking her ear off. As much as she loved her job at _Mode_ , she really didn't want to be there that night. All she wanted to do was head home to her family as they could be doing something better than having stupid small talk in what she thought of as a mini schmooze fest. She didn't see the need for Fey to have a party celebrating her 120th issue with the media telling her how great she is. But apparently it was her 'thing' and all her subjects had to be present. After a meet and greet session and small talk with media personalities, she glanced around, searching for Fey and she had disappeared, along with Bradford whom she'd been carelessly flirting with all evening. Apparently, Mrs. Meade was in rehab…again.

After dipping out, she walked into her empty home that evening hoping that her husband and baby were on their way back. Walking to the bedroom to change, a knock came on the door. She thought it was strange that her significant other would knock in his own home, nonetheless went on to answer the door and there stood two policemen.

"Mrs. Slater-Shuttleworth?" The detective asked.

"Yes?" She replied, her eyes narrowing.

"I'm detective Zahn and this is Officer Gordon. May we come in?" Many thoughts ran through her mind… Did her car get stolen from the basement parking or something? Did her ever travelling father get into a car accident or a plane crash? The policeman cleared his throat.

"Yes, yes, of course." She said stepping aside to let them in and looked into their eyes and they were filled with glum.

"Ms. Slater, I'm afraid I have really terrible news. You better sit down." Said the policeman.

"I don't need to sit down. Just tell me what the hell is going on." She snapped in irritation and fear, her heart hammering faster.

"There's been an accident…It was your husband Christian Shuttleworth and your son." The detective said solemnly.

"Wh-…what?"

"There's been a car accident involving your husband and son." The second police officer repeated.

"Oh, my God. Are they okay?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"Ms. Slater…" The policeman said touching her arm gently.

"I SAID ARE THEY OKAY?" She screamed, her eyes now brimming with tears. The detective couldn't bring himself to say it. He just shook his head slowly.

"I am so sorry, Ms. Slater." Her chest tightened and she started heaving. "Ms. Slater, I'm afraid we have to ask you to come with us to confirm their ident-…" And that's when she blacked out.

When she came to, in the hospital, her father was by her side. She asked and begged him to tell her that it was a nightmare she would wake up from, however the sorrow in his eyes told her otherwise. It wasn't a dream. The older man simply shook his head and told her it was real. Soon after she was treated for anxiety, she was discharged and she had to go to a morgue and identify her husband and baby as she was the spouse and mother. That was the worst thing a human being ever had to go through. Even though her family and friends were there, she felt like she was alone. She wasn't all there, she fell in and out of consciousness during that time and shut people out.

Present:

Suddenly she was blinded by a rush of tears as she read the epitaphs that she couldn't remember writing. She traced his name on the headstone and exhaled. She couldn't believe that this was once the happiest day of her life.

"Happy Birthday, son. My first and only. 18 years old, huh? You'd probably be a freshman in college right now and I'm quite sure you'd be popular with the girls. Even Fey Sommers liked you and she wasn't easily impressed by babies, not even her own." She sniffled "The memories….the memories I have of you make me smile and cry at the same time. I miss your giggles when I blew raspberries on your little tummy, I miss your smile. God, I still remember your first smile at me, you were 2 months 3 weeks and 17 days. It was so adorable. I miss your cries. That's how much I enjoyed being your mother. The day you…the day you left me, you also took your first steps that morning and you walked again and we got it on tape, hoping I'd get to watch it with your daddy the following day. Little did I know that God had a different plan." She sniffled and wiped her eyes and laid the flowers in front of the headstone. She moved to the grave next to it.

"Hey, baby. You know I love you and miss you. I think about you every now and again, but I think about you more every time our song comes on. But I have to admit it's easier now. For the longest time there's one thing I wished for, and that was to have you back, as well as the baby. But I have to try and live life without you but you do know that you'll always live in a sacred space within my heart." She placed the roses and stared at the headstones.

"I miss you, guys." She whispered shakily. "I love you. I always will. You will always dwell here." She said gently clutching her chest. After another long glance, she turned and walked off. With one last look she climbed into the car and drove off.

* * *

Hours later, she was slumped on her sofa with a photograph of her family on one hand and gripping a bottle of Macallan with the other. This was her little tradition; she visited the graves on her son's birthday every year and then she would stupefy herself with hard liquor, hoping to drift to unconsciousness where she felt no pain. Things were easier that way. She ran her fingers on the faces on the photo which was smudged with tear stains. Their deaths shattered her to her soul and she was never the same after that. To this day she doesn't know why God dealt her such a hand. This was the reason why she was such a bitch. God dealt her a vicious hand. Then she spent years doing the same to other people- playing the hand she was dealt by making other people miserable. She was aware it was wrong but it was the only thing that kept her from having a breakdown. As she was about to take another swig from the bottle, a knock came on her door. She jerked her head toward the door, and quickly stood up and wiped her eyes before standing up to answer it.

Daniel waited nervously and as he was about to knock again, the door flung open, revealing a weary looking, bloodshot and puffy eyed Wilhelmina.

"Daniel" She said throatily, shock evident on her face.

"Wilhelmina." He said softly, resenting that he could be the cause of her current state.

"What are you-…How did you find out my new address?"

"Amanda. Can I please can I come in?" He asked.

"Sure" She said stepping aside to let him in. "Uh…what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Uh…I came to…check on you." He stammered.

"I'm fine, Daniel." She said walking to the sofa "If this is about me not showing up at work today, I had something to do." She answered nervously while hugging her body as if she were cold. Daniel stalked over to the couch and sat beside her, not knowing how to start the conversation he came for.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied, staring ahead.

"I didn't mean to put you in this position, Wilhelmina. For that I'm really sorry but please, let's not let things get awkward between us. If you don't feel anything for me, it's okay. I know I caught you off guard but we can remain friends. You don't have to…"

"I'm not hiding from you, Daniel." She said cutting him off, with a tight smile.

"That's good to hear." He said with a smile matching hers.

"You're right you caught me off guard but that's not the reason I didn't show up at work today." Daniel just looked at her, waiting for her explanation "It's my son's birthday today. I went to visit his…grave. That's why I wasn't in at the office today."

"Wilhelmina, I'm so sorry. I didn't know…"

"That's my fault, I don't tell anybody. I just take the day off. Marc is the only one who knows why."

"God, I feel like such an ass." He said as he put his head in his hands.

"Why?"

"I came here thinking you were avoiding me because you were being dramatic or something. I've been upset all day about it. I didn't know." He said sheepishly.

"Well, I wasn't trying to avoid you. I had something to deal with." She assured him.

"I…uh…better go then. We can talk about things tomorrow. Goodnight." He said and made his way toward the door.

"Please don't go." She said softly, her voice cracking. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, her eyes were shining with tears. "Please, I don't want to be alone tonight." She admitted. Daniel hurriedly walked back to the sofa and sat beside her and put his arms around her. And then she completely fell apart, and let it out.

Daniel rubbed her back soothingly as she sobbed painfully. Finally after almost an entire hour, the sobbing quieted down. After she ceased crying, a deafening silence fell in the apartment. She slowly pulled herself free from his grasp and wiped her eyes as she shifted on the sofa. Then Daniel's gaze fell to the coffee table and his heart sank as he saw the items on it; a children's story book, a couple of plush toys, a picture of the baby, and another with Wilhelmina with her late husband and the baby smiling happily. All of a sudden, his own problems seemed small compared to the heartbreak and devastation she must have been feeling.

"This is him." She said picking up the framed picture.

"He's…he was beautiful, Wilhelmina."

"And this is Christian."

"Yeah, I recognize him from the article. I'm sorry, Willie."

"And this…" She said referring to the book "This is the book I used to read to him."

"You read Dr. Seuss to a baby?" Somehow the question made her chuckle.

"I read to my son since he was 9 days old."

"Really?"

"Daniel, I know what you're thinking. A baby might not understand what you're reading but just hearing the sound of his mother's voice is enough."

"Wow, I guess I never thought about it that way."

"You know I don't wish what happened to happen to my worst enemy. Every time I visit their graves I feel as if I'm also visiting my own grave because when they died, a part of me died with them." She let out a shaky breath "Sometimes I wish I was in the car with them."

"Wilhelmina, you don't mean that."

"Sometimes I do, which is a lot of times. You know everything else after that was a blur. I don't remember sleeping, eating or drinking anything. I wasn't there the entire time. I sort of remember the funeral in which I blacked out. I learned later when I woke up at the hospital that I actually passed out at the grave site."

"Willie, you need to try and…"

"I know, Daniel." She said, rubbing her eyes. After a while, she spoke up. "uh…I better get to bed 'cause I'm feeling kind of…a little drowsy."

"You mean tipsy?" Daniel teased pointing to the half empty scotch bottle that sat on the coffee table. She scoffed.

"Smartass." She growled jokingly, smiling tightly.

"I could make you some coffee." He offered.

"No, it's fine, I'll sleep it off. You can sleep in one of the spare bedrooms if you like."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She answered softly and then walked over to the stair case.

* * *

Rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed and sleepily walked over to the chaise where he he'd laid his clothes. As he proceeded to get dressed, the previous evening's events kept playing in his mind. Sitting on the sofa with Wilhelmina's face buried in his shirt, bawling her eyes out was not on his agenda, but there was absolutely no place he rather would have been. The sight terrified him to death; Wilhelmina Slater cried in his arms. He used to assume that she didn't have any feelings at all, nothing seemed to get to her. Every time things went bad in her life she bounced right back, she never showed any signs of defeat. When he was promoted to Editor-in-Chief, she dusted herself off and tried to push him out with every opportunity she got and at times created. When she was fired from Meade, she returned in less than four months. When Connor left her, she went back to work with her head held high. When her former believed son, William was discovered to have been Christina's son, she showed up at work the following morning looking completely unaffected. And it dawned on him that all this time, she had been acting and she has been suffering in silence. But last night she let it all out in his presence.

Walking into the living room, he decided not to leave and he settled for touring the place and judging by the size of the duplex she would be awake by the time he's finished. He stood in the middle of the living room and took in the architectural grandeur; the place was gargantuan. For such a cheesy place that would make the perfect bachelor pad for an egomaniac athlete, it was filled with style and elegance and it was surprisingly warm and welcoming. The penthouse had glass walls and he had a clear view of the city, even her terrace and staircase railings were made of glass. The meticulous living area was complete with marble floors, a huge free-standing glass fireplace, a grand piano and exclusive art pieces. He proceeded with his tour and walked to a large archway which led to the other wing of the immense house, in which there were several vacant rooms and which one of them served as the wine cellar. He also came across a pretty huge library and a home office that was decorated with black and white motif, complete with a large glass desk and several black and white photographs.

Finally his tour led him to the kitchen which looked a bit similar to the one at her old condo; this one was just bigger with a different shade of the marble countertops. He proceeded to the refrigerator, hoping to find something to make breakfast with, he could only find a few units of fruit and bottles of water. He closed the refrigerator door and walked over to turn on the small kitchen TV and then turned on the coffee machine.

Slurping his coffee while watching television, Wilhelmina walked in the kitchen, slightly startling Daniel as he didn't hear any footsteps.

"Good morning." She said with a small but genuine smile.

"Good morning, Willie." He replied, returning her smile.

"I can't believe you're still here."

"I…uh…I just wanted to see if you're okay after last night."

"I wasn't complaining." She clarified with a reassuring smile. "And thank you for staying. I'm fine…" As she spoke, Daniel took her in, his eyes travelling up and down her form. She only wore a white bathrobe with her initials on it, her hair was messy and she had no makeup on, nonetheless she looked absolutely beautiful without it, even much more youthful without it. His gaze travelled back to her face and watched her mouth as she spoke, imagining those pink, soft lips on his, just as they were two nights ago in the elevator. At that moment all he wanted to do was to walk over to her and kiss the pain she'd been harboring for almost two decades away.

"Daniel?" She said cautiously. His attention snapped back to her, realizing that he'd completely stopped listening the moment after she said she was fine.

"Sorry…I'm just…I was so worried about you, Wilhelmina." He lied.

"You don't have to be. I'm okay, really." She assured him as she hopped on the stool next to his, and fixated her gaze on the screen watching the morning news.

"Want anything to eat?" He asked.

"Do I have anything to eat?"

"You have…yoghurt, apples, peaches, strawberries, lots of water. I can make you a mean morning fruit salad."

"I think I'll just have some coffee first." She replied. Before she could get off her stool,

"Okay, let me pour you a cup." He said hopping off the stool and walked over to the coffee machine.

"Oh…thanks." She said.

"I like your new place, Willie. It's amazing, it's just incredible." He spoke as she fixed her coffee.

"Thank you."

"How do you take your coffee?"

"I usually take my coffee with cream but this morning I want it strong and black." She replied. He stalked over to her and set the mug in front of her.

"Wanna know how I take mine? Like my women." He said grinning mischievously.

"So, how do you like your women?" She asked with a slightly sultry voice.

"Very hot, creamy, rich." He said suggestively earning a laugh from her. Wait were they flirting? Daniel wondered and decided to push harder "bossy, incredibly smart, preferably Editor-in-Chief of a publication…like a fashion magazine maybe." She responded with a chortle.

"You're crazy, Meade."

"So I've been told…So how much did you pay for this place?" He asked.

"You can't count that high." She joked.

"That much, huh?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Well, it sure as hell deserves it. I gave myself a grand tour; it's a 360 view of Manhattan."

"That's why I love it."

"And it's a lot, less darker than your previous apartment." He teased and they both burst out in a bout of chuckles.

"Daniel, while you're still in a laughing mood, I need to tell you something." She said seriously.

"What?"

"It's bout Marc."

"You want him back?"

"I told you I don't want him as my assistant anymore. I've decided to give Marc a promotion, the fashion editor position. But I wanted to talk to you first to give you time to hire a new assistant."

"Of course, Willie you can promote him. The whole reason he came to work for me is because he wanted to be editor. And I know he misses you."

"Well, I missed him too. He is the most important man in my life." In response, Daniel narrowed his eyes at her.

"Look, I know Marc might not walk like a man, or talk like a man and his features are vaguely lesbian, but the truth is he's been my one constant over the years. If I were on my deathbed, he'd be the person I'd call." Daniel couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips. "I know you probably think it's pathetic that a woman of my age to have a former assistant as the only person she considers family."

"I don't think you're pathetic at all." He said placing his hand on her forearm.

"So, you're okay with it?"

"Of course." He replied.

"I should probably go get ready for work." She said glancing at the clock.

"I should go. I also gotta get ready." He said getting up and walked over to the sink and put the mug in. Willie followed suit and walked out of the kitchen with him making small talk along the way. Standing on the threshold, he turned to say goodbye.

"Well…I'll see you at work." Daniel said, all of a sudden feeling nervous. Willie pulled his head to her and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"See you at work." She said. He swallowed hard and nodded before walking off.

* * *

At midday, Marc stood with Willie in the middle of her office after she called him for an important talk. Working for Daniel was fine but it just wasn't the same, sure he'd help him become editor one day but they didn't have the same dynamic he and Willie had.

"So, you want me back?" He asked, slightly happy.

"No." She answered quickly. His face fell in disappointment. "Not as my assistant. However you WILL answer to me as my newest fashion editor." His brows shot up as confusion played across his face.

"Wait, did you just say…" He whispered in disbelief.

"Yes, I did. Congratulations." She said smiling.

"So I'm the senior fashion editor?"

"You're kidding. You're not qualified for that job. I decided I didn't need one. I'm gonna use the money for our junior fashion editor."

"Willie…"

"And before you say anything, this is not to take you away from Daniel, this is a promotion I've wanted to give you even before you joined YETI. It's just that things got screwed up and we had a hiring freeze."

"I…I don't know what to say…I…"

"Absolutely nothing. You deserve this, Marc."

"Willie, thank you. Thank you so much." Marc said and engulfed her in a hug "And I'm sorry that I said…that you didn't care…"

"Water under the bridge, Marc. You always deserved to be editor and I told you that there was a coin toss that ruled in Betty's favor. Yeah, I acted as if didn't care when you applied for YETI and when you told me you were going to work for Anna Wintour because that's how I deal with things that are close to my heart. I might have unconsciously not cared because I couldn't stand the idea of losing you."

"Oh, Willie…" Marc cooed.

"I know. It took me a 50 minute session to come to that realization and admission."

"50 min-…wait, Willie, are you seeing a shrink?" He asked, his eyes bulging.

"Marc, now is not the time."

"But, Willie…"

"Marc, this is the day of your promotion and let's celebrate that. I promise we will talk about this. But right now…" She said as she walked over to her credenza and opened a bottle of champagne and poured it on the flutes and handed one to Marc.

Daniel felt muzzy as he dashed through the Mode offices. He was confused about where he and Wilhelmina were in their relationship. Were they still friends like before the kiss happened? But what about the kiss on the cheek that morning? It wasn't a forehead kiss but on the cheek, extremely close to his mouth. Did it mean he was allowed to bring up the subject again and they could go out on a date?

As he walked past her office, he saw her chatting and sipping champagne with Marc. As he watched the scene from a distance through the glass circle, he decided to talk to her after work just to see where they stood. As he was standing there, an intern walked over with a document for him to sign, just as he was handing it back, it slipped and fell on the floor. Picking it up, he saw Willie through his legs looking at his ass. He swiftly got up and examined her, thinking maybe his eyes were deceiving him. She just shot him a flirty glare accompanied by a mischievous lopsided smile. As he was about to walk off, Marc rushed out of the office, obviously to find Amanda. Noticing him, Marc walked over to him.

"Daniel, I just got pro-…" Marc began.

"It's fine, Marc. She told me; just give me your two weeks' notice."

"Oh thank you and I thought it was gonna be awkward. But trust me I won't leave you hanging, I will hire you a perfectly good assistant, not as good as me obviously but…" Daniel just chuckled.

"Marc, do that later after you've spread the news. Right now, I need to talk to Willie."

Daniel walked over to Willie's office and knocked slightly and walked in.

"Willie, may I have a word?"

"Of course." She replied with a smile.

"Uh…I couldn't help noticing that you were staring at my ass out there." He said as he plunked himself on the chair in front of her desk.

"I was just teasing."

"Well, I…I wanna know where we stand Willie. In terms of you know…"

"When you put your crusty lips on mine?" She deadpanned.

"They're not crusty." He defended almost childlike "And if my memory serves me right, you kissed me back." He said with a smug smile.

"Yeah, I did." She admitted.

"You enjoyed it?"

"I'm not going to boost your ego, Daniel." She replied and he chuckled slightly.

"You just answered my question. So, will you go out on a date with me?" He asked confidently.

"Date?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure about that or are you asking me out because you still feel empty and lonely or do you at least feel something for me? Because I don't have time to be anyone's rebound."

"Willie, are you kidding me? I've been having feelings for you for a while now and I didn't act on them until two nights ago. Trust me this is not me filling a void. I want to go out with you."

"Okay, How about tomorrow night?" She said after a few moments of hesitation.

"It's a date." He said, smiling.

* * *

Feeling incredibly nervous for their first date, the pair made small talk in the town car, trying to rid themselves of the nervousness they felt. They were nervous because the date they were going to would determine if anything at all would develop between them or they were better suited as friends. The latter was troubling to both of them as they liked each other a little too much than to stay friends. As the car rounded the corner, Willie spoke up.

"Oh, My God, Daniel. Are we headed to the harbor?" She asked, the surprise in her voice prominent.

"Yes." He said grinning.

"A dinner cruise?"

"Yeah, that was our first date. I thought recreating the scene would be nice."

"Have you forgotten how that went?" She asked lifting her brow.

"Hell, no. We were different people back then. We are much more than that now."

"God, I hope we don't get another annoying waitress tonight."

"I made sure that Harmony is off tonight."

Their previous awful date seemed to be the real ice breaker as the conversation seemed to flow on the rest of the way. Their laughter died down as the car came to a halt. Daniel opened his door and stepped out to open her door, but she beat him to it.

"Oh, I was gonna get that for you." He said in disappointment as Willie tugged at her coat.

"You don't have to worry about that, Daniel. Chivalry isn't my thing." She explained.

"You're an independent woman. I love it. Now, shall we, Miss Slater?" He asked in a gruff voice while proffering his arm to her. She tugged at it and they made their way to the waiting boat.

They sat across from each other with a clambake, oysters, and smoked salmon accompanied by a bottle of wine. Because of the weather, the pair didn't sit outside like last time; however, their table was out looking the exact same spot they were seated at last time. This served as an ice breaker as they reminisced about the memories of that night. After that, conversation flowed freely between the two, however. Even though it was the first date, the purpose wasn't to interrogate each other, but to hang and see if they had something, so they kept it casual.

The pair was currently laughing about the hurricane that Amanda almost caused by blabbing about their telephone conversation to Marc and Betty.

"So, why did you take off your watch at my house again?" She asked.

"It was too tight."

"Then why did you wear it?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? Didn't you coin the phrase 'Beauty is pain.'?"

"I never said that." She denied briskly.

"Willie…"

"I might have…a couple of times but I'm definitely not the originator of the phrase. I think that was Fey's line. You know, this rumor could have gone really bad."

"Tell me about it. I can't believe Amanda managed to keep it between Betty and Marc."

"I had a talk with her. I made her a short PowerPoint presentation of what would happen if I ever hear the words Daniel, Wilhelmina, watch, apartment and couch in the office again. I think she got the message." She said dryly. That sent Daniel laughing hysterically.

"You're serious?"

"Are there any rumors flying about in the office."

"Now that I think about it, no. Uh…speaking of that night I left my watch at your place, how's the plane and island coming along?"

"I'm still searching for the island but I have been looking at some deals for a plane and even though I haven't signed on the dotted line I think I'm going with a Cessna Citation Mustang."

"That's amazing. That's balls, Willie."

"I know."

"How can you afford all this stuff?"

"What?" She asked with a scoff.

"What I mean is…our company is still rebounding and I can't possibly afford the new Buggatti I have set my sights on. I'm still recovering financially and you're buying glass houses, Porsches, private planes?"

"I wasn't really broke, Daniel."

"You weren't? But you sold your jewelry worth millions and you told me that you didn't have the same resources I did."

"Well, at the time I appeared to be broke but I wasn't. Daniel, do you think a person who's as determined, focused and responsible as I am would blow all her money?"

"So you had a secret stash?" He questioned.

"Well, not exactly a secret. All that money that Forbes claims I have, I do. And before you even go there, I didn't hoard all that money to make you pay for most of Meade's expenses."

"I…I wasn't gonna say that, I swear. I get it now, you wanted protection in case things didn't work out…maybe you wanted to start your own magazine instead. I don't blame you, Willie, that's probably what I would have done too if I was in your shoes."

"No. That's not it at all. Back then I was a mother, Daniel." She said softly.

"Even though Nico's father paid for her education and all, she was still pretty high maintenance. But I had William and I wanted to give him a comfortable life, even better than I ever had. I didn't want him to suffer for my wrong doings."

"So you kept your money for him?"

"Yes. I wanted to give him the best childhood, something I couldn't do the first time and failed at, the second time. But things turned out differently and now I just decided to spoil myself and live a little."

"Wilhelmina, you're amazing. And I'm sorry about William…I really am. You're a good mother."

"Yeah, right." She said laughing mirthlessly.

"You might not believe me but if you are willing to give up a part of yourself for another person, then you are a good person whether you want to admit it or not and even if other people can't see it. Your auction was made public and was treated as entertainment and you went through all that for your kids. That makes you a good mother."

"Who knew Danny boy was so deep?"

"I'm serious."

"Okay." She said grinning "So tell me about your dream Bugatti."

* * *

Following the dinner, Daniel had asked the driver to drop them off two blocks away from Willie's apartment and drive on and wait for him by her building. The pair was now strolling the sidewalk, chatting casually.

"Wow that was totally different from the first time we did it." Daniel said.

"Totally. You know it's sad how we hated each other so much that time that we actually started a fire to get out of it."

"Tell me about it. I mean we didn't consider other people on the ferry. It could have turned out bad."

"We were so determined to get what we want which was to get out of that God awful date that we didn't consider other people involved."

"Wanna know a secret?" He asked.

"Shoot"

"That night, when you were talking about Nico and when you were laughing…I saw this sparkle in your eyes and at that moment I thought you were the most beautiful woman ever."

"What?"

"I mean I always thought you were very pretty and hot. I mean a ruined a lot magazines back in the day."

"What?" Wilhelmina said surprised.

"I-…I didn't mean that." He stammered in attempt to defend his statement but he saw that she was laughing softly. His face softened and he chose to continue "But still, I saw you as an enemy, someone who hates everyone but at that night, I saw you as a human being. When you smiled I really thought 'Wow, why doesn't she do that often?'"

"Oh, my God!" She said with a hint of a blush.

"I know. Another secret…"

"Oooh, there's more?" She asked cocking her brow.

"I sort of developed a little crush on you after that date…just a little."

"Are you serious right now?"

"I am. But it was forbidden, you and I were enemies and you were supposed to be having my father's baby. So…" He trailed off.

"Uh…I'm speechless."

"There's the phrase I never thought I'd hear you say." He quipped, earning a slight punch on his arm.

"Shut up." She chuckled.

"There's also one more thing I wished I could do when you had that beautiful smile on your face that night." She said softly as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"What is that?" She whispered.

"This" He spoke softly and closed the space between them. He captured her lips with his and kissed her tenderly. She responded with the same tenderness and her hand soon slid up his back to his neck while his hands traveled down her body and gripped her waist. She slightly pulled away and her eyes met his and her hand moved to his cheek and she caressed it softly. She pulled him back and pressed her lips against his in another lingering kiss that elicited a slight moan from her. He gently pulled away with her hand still on his cheeks and he grinned.

"What?" She asked as her mouth curled into her smile.

"It's just…as much as would like this to continue, it kinda has to stop here." He said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because…Wilhelmina, I wanna do this right. I want a relationship with you…a real one. And I don't want to start this new relationship with us jumping in bed on the first date."

"Really? Because if you're trying to be respectful or anything, you don't have to worry." She said softly.

"No, it's just every relationship I've been in or attempted, was based on sex and I'm trying to do something different here….And I'm trying to respect you."

"Why, I'm flattered." She said smiling, her hand resting on his pecs. "I understand what you're trying to do and I think it's sweet and sexy. But let's take things as they come and…we'll just see."

"Okay." He replied with a smile. She pecked him once more and slowly pulled away.

"See you at work." She whispered before walking off to the building. He watched her silently as she went in, with inexplicable feeling. She turned and waved at him before disappearing into her building. He returned the wave and blew her a kiss before turning to walk to the car.


End file.
